


Watch Boy & Lucky Girl

by csgt



Series: Watch Boy & Lucky Girl [1]
Category: Ben 10 Series
Genre: Alternate Universe, Cousin Incest, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-02
Updated: 2018-07-15
Packaged: 2018-12-23 01:26:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 28
Words: 80,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11979201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/csgt/pseuds/csgt
Summary: BWEN (Ben/Gwen). 16-year-old Ben Tennyson finds a strange watch that can turn him into aliens. And his cousin Gwen - who has magical powers of her own - helps him to fight off evil from Earth and space.





	1. The Secret Origins of Watch Boy

**Author's Note:**

> * A special thanks to Trish Bhatia for making amazing fan-art based on this fic. Please, check it out: www DOT deviantart DOT com/trishbhatia/gallery/
> 
> * A special thanks to Aurora Nightstar for beta-reading this fic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Note for brazilian readers: Se você é brasileiro, eu estou publicando essa estória em português num site chamado Spirit Fanfics, com o título "Watch Boy e Lucky Girl: Primeira Temporada", procura lá!

**The Secret Origins of Watch Boy, part I**

* * *

**Ben**

* * *

"BENJAMIN KIRBY TENNYSON!" the redhead girl - now blue-haired - stormed out of the RV's bedroom foaming with rage, "You put dye in my shampoo, you mega-doofus!"

Ben couldn't hold back his laughter, "I particularly think your new look is wonderful, cuz!"

"Ben! You shouldn't have done that." Grandpa Max reprimanded the boy.

A smirk crossed Gwen's lips, "Grandpa, Ben deserves to be punished. I think you should make him do all my chores on the Rust Bucket for the next two weeks."

"Alright, Gwen," Grandpa Max agreed, "Ben, you're now responsible for your chores and for your cousin's chores."

"This is not fair!" Ben protested, "I just put some food coloring in Gwen's shampoo, it will easily wash out when she washes her hair with real shampoo! Working twice as hard for two weeks is much worse than my prank! And I wouldn't even have done it in the first place if the Dweeb hadn't put toothpaste on my face while I was sleeping!"

"And I wouldn't have done that if you hadn't put a rubber spider on my bed, Doofus!" Gwen snapped.

"And I wouldn't have done that if you hadn't scared me with a clown mask, Dweeb!" Ben said.

"And I wouldn't have done that if you hadn't put salt in my juice, Mega-Doofus!" Gwen replied.

"And I wouldn't have done that if you hadn't-"

"ENOUGH!" Grandpa Max raised his voice, "You two are sixteen, but sometimes you act like you were still ten! Ben, I can't leave you unpunished, because then Gwen will pull an even worse prank on you thanks to your last one, and I want to stop this endless cycle of pranks between the two of you."

Gwen winked at him. She had won again, as always!

Ben got up, still upset over his punishment, and left the RV, deciding to walk a little through the woods of Yosemite Park - the place where the Tennyson trio was visiting that day - to clear his head.

Despite all their bickering, the cousins were actually inseparable, and Ben wouldn't trade spending the summer vacations with Gwen and Grandpa Max for anything. Ever since they were ten, Ben and Gwen spent the summer traveling with Grandpa Max all over the country in his RV - the "Rust Bucket". The first time, it was an idea of Ben's father Carl and Gwen's father Frank to help Grandpa recover from the loss of Grandma Mary. But the children liked it so much that in the following years they themselves insisted on taking more road trips.

 _"How does Gwen always get things to go her way, huh?"_ Ben thought, _"I want to have at least a little bit of her luck ..."_

Suddenly he heard a loud and weird noise. Looking up, Ben saw a small ship flying awkwardly in the sky. Looking at it more carefully, he realized the ship wasn't flying, it was falling. A few seconds later, the boy heard the sound of the ship falling on the ground, not far from where he was.

Ben ran as fast as he could, approaching the crash site. People could be hurt, he wanted to help. When he arrived, he saw the small ship crashed in a clearing, and, with a chill on his spine, he realized that ship hadn't been built by humans.

It was an alien ship.

The boy had never seen an alien in person. He was curious to see one. But on the other hand, he had no idea what kind of aliens could be inside that ship ... It could be Loboans - that is, Werewolves - or Vladats - popularly called Vampires - or maybe even Ectonurites a.k.a. Evil Spirits... And Ben was an unarmed boy walking alone in the middle of the forest, the typical first victim of every horror movie.

Ben hid behind the woods nearby at a safe distance, just peeking to see what would happen.

From the ship, a single alien came out, a humanoid being with grayish green skin, and head shaped like a squid. Ben knew that the members of this extraterrestrial species were known as Vilgaxians, and they were very dangerous and feared.

They could shapeshift their arms into tentacles and strangle a human in seconds, and the most powerful of them also could shoot lasers from their eyes, but they weren't feared more than other aliens because of their abilities. While other aliens usually acted without an organized structure, alone or in small groups, the Vilgaxians found on Earth were military troops following orders of their overlord Vilgax, who wanted - guess what - to conquer the planet. That's why they were so dangerous.

The Vilgaxian walked with difficulty, seemingly wounded, and after a few steps, he collapsed onto the ground. A metal sphere he was carrying in his hand rolled a few yards... stopping very close to the spot where Ben was hiding.

Ben could see the alien's red eyes turning towards him and he froze…

"Please . . . Help me . . ." The Vilgaxian said in a weak voice.

It was certainly a trap. Ben's brain told him to run back to the Rust Bucket as fast as he could to talk to Grandpa Max so they could get the hell out of there and call the professionals to deal with that alien. But drawn by curiosity, Ben approached the alien. That Vilgaxian was alone and hurt, he couldn't be a danger to Ben... right?

"The Omnitrix..." The alien whispered pointing toward the metal sphere, "Take it to a safe place... away from Vilgax..."

"Vilgax? Your boss?" Ben asked.

"He is not my boss... Not anymore... I deserted his army... And I stole the Omnitrix... You have to take it away before Vilgax's soldiers get here..."

"What is your name?"

"Tomyx... But don't waste time."

Tomyx might have been lying, but he seemed to be telling the truth - although Ben had never heard of a Vilgaxian who wasn't loyal to Vilgax before.

"Okay, how about you? If you're a deserter, and Vilgax's soldiers are coming soon, they'll catch you."

"It doesn't matter... The Omnitrix-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know, this Omnitrix is important," Ben said, cutting off the alien mid-sentence, "But I won't leave the only Vilgaxian who dislikes Vilgax here to die."

"Not the only one... There are many others of us... on our homeworld."

Ben put Tomyx's arm around his shoulder and tried to give him support so he could walk, but Tomyx was over a foot taller than him and he was very heavy, Ben's plan didn't work.

"Go . . ." Tomyx said.

"No!" Ben snapped.

"You have a good heart . . . Are you willing to risk your life?"

"If I cared for my own safety, I would've ran away as soon as I saw an alien ship," Ben said coldly. Most of the beatings he had taken from bullies at school were because the bullies were picking on younger kids, and Ben would stand up to defend them. He never ran from a fight.

"Get the Omnitrix ... I'll teach you how to use it ... And you'll be strong enough to carry me..."

Ben went to the metal sphere and brought it to Tomyx. The Vilgaxian gathered his strength to sit on the ground, and Ben crouched beside him. Tomyx touched the sphere, whispered some words that Ben did not understand - probably in his native alien language - and the sphere opened, revealing a device similar to a watch inside.

"Grab it . . ." Tomyx said.

Ben did as he was told, and the "watch" clung to his left wrist, glowing green. Tomyx began to "dial" the Omnitrix, and its screen showed several silhouettes of weird creatures.

"This one is fast ..." Tomyx said, as the screen showed a silhouette resembling a velociraptor.

"This one is intelligent..." The screen showed a silhouette of a very small creature.

"And this one is strong." The screen now showed a silhouette of a big four-armed creature. Tomyx slammed the watch on Ben's wrist and Ben felt a tingle all over his body.

Ben's skin began to turn red, and the boy felt two extra eyes sprouting on his forehead, and two extra arms sprouting beneath his original arms. His body also began to increase in size, ripping his clothes. At least the creature had his own clothes - black pants and a white shirt with a black stripe in the middle.

"You turned me into a Four-Armed monster!" Ben snapped at the Vilgaxian.

"It's only temporary... You became an alien… a Tetramand," Tomyx said.

"Tetra what? I'll call it Four Arms," Ben said, being able to carry Tomyx very easily now. Being a super strong alien was actually cool, and he trusted Tomyx's words that the change would be only temporary.

"BEEEN!" Ben heard Grandpa Max's voice calling him.

"DOOOOFUS! WHERE ARE YOU?" Now it was Gwen's voice.

"They're my grandfather and cousin." Four Arms said as he ran towards the voices, "They must be pretty worried about me, it's dark and I should've been back to the RV a long time ago." Less than a minute later he found them. "Hey, folks!"

"AAAAAAH," Gwen yelled scared, and Grandpa Max immediately pointed a gun at him.

"Wait, wait, it's me, Ben! Don't shoot, Grandpa!"

Grandpa Max was an agent of S.E.C.T, the Special Extraterrestrial Containment Team, and even after he retired, he hadn't lost the old habits of always being prepared for any possible confrontation with an alien. Thankfully, Grandpa Max wasn't the type to shoot first and ask questions later.

"Ben, what happened to you?" Gwen asked worried.

"Long story." Four Arms said, "Let's get back to the Rust Bucket soon, this alien I'm carrying is wounded."

"Ben, you know this is a-" Max began to say, clearly uncomfortable.

"Vilgaxian, yeah, I know. But Tomyx is good. "

"I wouldn't be so sure... But he's actually hurt. Helping him is the right thing to do, but I'll keep an eye on him anyway." Grandpa Max said.

On the way back, still in the forest, the sound of a beep came from Four Arms. Something that looked like a metal plate with an hourglass symbol on his left shoulder began glowing red.

"The Omnitrix is about to time-out..." Tomyx whispered.

Four Arms put the Vilgaxian on the ground. A few seconds later he felt a tingle again and... He was back to normal!

"Cuz, you've become another hideous creature, even uglier than before! Hahaha just kidding, I'm very happy that you're back to normal!" Unlike Ben, Gwen didn't know the alien transformation was only temporary, she probably thought he would be stuck as Four Arms forever.

Gwen threw herself into Ben's arms and gave him a tight hug. Ben's stupid teenage hormones - which couldn't tell the difference between a hot unrelated girl and a hot _cousin_ \- made him feel very tempted to simply return Gwen's gesture and wrap his arms around her, but he knew hugging her in that moment definitely wouldn't be a good idea - because he was naked.

"Gwen, do you mind? I'm kinda naked here..."

Gwen quickly let go of the hug, "Ewww ... I'm so sorry, Ben ... It's dark, and I didn't even realize your clothes were gone ... I'm feeling so embarrassed right now ..."

"No problem, cuz." Ben replied, also feeling a little awkward. It was dark, so none of them could see the blush on each other's face, but Ben knew both were blushing hard.

Grandpa took off his Hawaiian shirt with a floral design and handed it to Ben. Fortunately Grandpa was wearing another shirt underneath and the Hawaiian shirt was big enough for the boy to cover himself as if he was wearing a dress.

"Help me carry Tomyx, Ben," Grandpa Max asked.

Ben and Grandpa Max together were able to carry the Vilgaxian through the forest until they finally were back at the place where the RV was parked. They laid the wounded alien on Grandpa's bed so he could rest.

But, before anyone could start asking questions, the sound of an explosion was heard in the distance.

"There is a cloud of smoke above the area where most tourists are camping. The explosion came from there..." Grandpa Max said, looking through the window.

"It's them..." Tomyx whispered, "My fa- Vilgax's soldiers, they are looking for me and the Omnitrix."

"I'm going to call S.E.C.T., they'll be able to deal with the problem. We're leaving here." Max said, already dialing his cell phone.

"How long will it take for them to get there, Grandpa?" Ben asked, but the question he really wanted to ask was _"How many innocent lives will be lost from now up until help arrives?"_

"Ben, they'll be here fast. There's nothing we can do." Max replied, and soon after, he started talking to someone on the phone.

"I can do something ..." Ben whispered, looking at the alien watch on his left wrist.

"Don't even think about it. It's too dangerous!" Gwen said, holding his right wrist, "You could die, doofus!"

"Then you can have the upper bed on the bunk and my Game Station," Ben chuckled.

"This is no joke, Ben ..." the look on Gwen's face... Ben could clearly see that she was frightened, terrified with the possibility of something happening to him.

Ben and Gwen stared into each other's green eyes for a few seconds without saying any words. Until Ben kissed her forehead and said, "Thanks for your concern, cuz, but this is my chance to do something important with my life, to save people… I have to do this."

Ben began dialing his watch to select an alien, and when he came across the silhouette of the one who looked like a velociraptor, he remembered Tomyx's words, _"This one is fast."_ A fast alien would come in handy now. He slammed the watch, just as Tomyx had done before, and within seconds he became some sort of a big blue lizard with a black armor and wheel-like appendices on his feet.

"BEN! NO!" Gwen shouted. Grandpa Max put the phone aside and tried to hold him too, but neither one of them was able to stop him. The new alien accelerated out of the RV, heading towards the danger and leaving Grandpa Max's Hawaiian shirt behind him.

Accelerated ... Accelerate... XLR8. That was a good name for this one.

**TO BE CONTINUED.**

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Feedback is always welcome!


	2. The Secret Origins of Watch Boy, part II

****

 

**The Secret Origins of Watch Boy, part II**

* * *

**Ben**

* * *

Ben, in the shape of the raptor-like creature, felt the wind blowing past himself as he rushed towards the big smoke cloud far away, zigzagging across the trees in his path, _"This thing is really fast."_

When he arrived at the tourists' camping site, he was greeted with pure chaos. Humanoid squid-faced aliens - Vilgaxians - wearing heavy body armor and carrying large guns set fire to trailers, trees and people. They fired upon anything unfortunate enough to cross their path.

So many dead bodies… He couldn't focus on the dead, though. He had to do something for the living.

Ben in his XLR8 form got some of them out of the line of fire, one in particular began screaming, "My son is still in there!" She pointed at some large RV that was on fire. Park rangers tried to lead her and other people away from that area, which left XLR8 to race back to the vehicle and grab the unconscious child. Mere seconds later it exploded after taking another hit from an alien weapon, but XLR8 and the young child were long gone by now.

"Here." XLR8 said, as he delivered the little boy to his crying mother.

At first the woman looked scared from seeing XLR8, but once she realized he had saved her son's life, her expression changed. "Thank you so much. I…I had no idea aliens could be good."

One of the humanoid-squid creatures pointed at XLR8, "That kineceleran… He's Tomyx, using the Omnitrix! All fire on him!"

"Crap," he turned to the woman, "Get outta here!" With her son, she took off while he began zipping away from the energy beams aimed at him.

Wanting to get the battle away from the campers, he zipped into the forest avoiding trees and bushes as he did so. He managed to make the trees work in his favor, taking cover and confusing his enemies, but the squid-aliens were literally on his tail and there were way too many of them. He decided to take an aggressive approach and attack, but while he impressively managed to knock five Vilgaxians down with his speed, a sixth one was able to shoot him straight in the chest.

"Argh!" he screamed in pain, but was able to get back to his feet… wheels… balls... alien things? And took off again, but the fatigue was starting to take its toll on him.

 _"Gwen was right. I am going to die here... but I'm not going down that easy."_ He stood up and used his talons and tail to knock out three more aliens, but another shot hit him from behind and knocked him down. As soon as he fell, two Vilgaxians shape-shifted their arms into tentacles and immobilized him completely.

XLR8 closed his eyes, waiting for the moment when one of his enemies would break his neck. Although he was seconds away from his death, he never felt happier. All his life, Ben was the punching bag for the bullies at school, the guy who was always rejected by the girls, the last pick for sports, and the lazy kid with low grades. At least now he would die a hero.

But it didn't happen.

"Is he alive?" One of the Vilgaxians asked, odd he seemed to understand their language perfectly. Probably it had something to do with the Omnitrix.

"Of course he is, don't worry. We'll take Lord Vilgax's traitorous son back to him in one piece..." The other squid-faced alien answered.

Offspring… of Vilgax?! ... Tomyx ... They thought he was Tomyx …

The squid-faced duo started dragging a semi-unconscious XLR8 across the ground, when, fortunately, they were surprised by the appearance of a man covered in steel - like a second layer of skin - who punched them to release XLR8. A small army of soldiers in black uniforms followed behind the man, shooting at the other Vilgaxians.

"I'm Steel, the Director of SECT. The cavalry is here," the steel-skinned man said to XLR8.

Suddenly there was a loud beeping noise coming from the hourglass-shaped disk on XLR8's chest.

_"Uh Oh, this is going to be embarrassing."_

* * *

**One day later. S.E.C.T. Headquarters, classified location.**

Ben was sitting on the bed in his temporary bedroom inside one of SECT's headquarters when Gwen walked in. The dweeb gave Ben a very long hug, before pinching his arm. Hard.

"Ouch, that hurts! What was that for?"

"It's supposed to hurt, Doofus! You were irresponsible, reckless and almost died!" she shouted.

"Can you close the door, please? The S.E.C.T. agents don't need to have 'the redhead with a fiery temper' stereotype confirmed," the second his cousin turned around towards the door, he saw a chance for payback by pinching her backside.

"Oouch! You perv!"

"Serves you right, brat." Ben smirked, "And, since you're a girl and I'm a guy, that huge butt of yours is the only acceptable place for me to pinch you."

Gwen glared daggers at her cousin, "At least my head isn't as big as your FAT head!" and then she spoke again, much more relaxed, "I came to tell you Tomyx is awake. Grandpa Max and Director Steel are with him now in the infirmary, so he can tell them how to take that watch off your wrist."

Ben felt a ping of sadness, but played it off. "Oh yeah ha, phew thank goodness we'll get this friggin thing off..." he glanced at the watch longingly, "But let's say for arguments sake that I keep it. I could save a lot of people with it and-"

"Don't start, doofus!" she snapped, "They'll take the watch off you and give it to a S.E.C.T agent, who will continue to save lives." Gwen folded her arms.

"But I can do a much better job than any of these agents!" Ben folded his arms too. He knew it was a weak argument, but it was all he had.

"Hahaha don't make me laugh. I know you enjoyed the thrill, but you gotta remember you almost got killed by those Vilgaxians, and yet you still want to risk your life on a regular basis? Wouldn't you care about how your mother, your father or Grandpa Max would feel if you died?!" Gwen questioned, angry.

"It's easy for you to judge me, Little Miss Perfect..." Ben replied angry, "You're smart, a straight-A student. You're beautiful, all the boys at school drool over you. Crap, you're a black belt in karate! Everyone admires you! And when I finally have something that makes ME admirable too, of course you don't want me to keep it!"

Ben lowered his face not meeting his cousin's gaze, he hadn't meant to say that, but she made him angry. It wouldn't make sense to argue with anybody, though, no matter how much he wanted it, S.E.C.T. would never let him have the watch. It was better to go straight to Director Steel and get this thing over with as soon as possible.

"I . . . admire you . . ."

It was a whisper so low Ben barely heard. He wondered if he was imagining things, or if Gwen had really said that.

"Did you say something?"

She sighed, "I admire you doofus," Gwen repeated, now a little louder. "You're reckless, irresponsible, and stupid . . . but . . . for the right reasons." She shuffled her shoulders. "Whether you're defending kids from bullies, or putting on a weird watch you know nothing about to save someone, you're good-hearted and very brave. This is your nature regardless of any alien device you might have, and I… admire you… a little bit… for that."

Ben scratched his head, "Thank you… I guess… "

For some reason Gwen's face was turning red, "Come on, let's go look for Grandpa, Director Steel and Tomyx?" she said.

As soon as Ben and Gwen arrived at the infirmary, they saw Tomyx lying on a bed and fortunately the alien teenager looked much better than he had been the day before. Ben had a lot to talk to him about, but he would give Tomyx the benefit of a doubt and discuss those things in private later - after all, being Vilgax's son wasn't a thing to be proud of. Ben could understand if Tomyx didn't want to share that with S.E.C.T., if he hadn't already.

Director Steel was standing by the door, his arms folded, staring at the floor with a serious expression on his face - he was certainly thinking of a problem. Seeing the Director completely normal without his steel skin, Ben noticed a large scar on his face and wondered how anyone could've hurt him.

And Grandpa Max was sitting on a chair, with a strange look on his face.

"So . . . How are we going to take the watch off Ben?" Gwen asked.

The tentacles on Tomyx's chin began to shake nervously. "Mr. Ben and the watch are fused, merged... If Mr. Ben is killed, the watch breaks, and if someone destroys the watch or tries to take it off Mr. Ben, he dies." Tomyx said, "But don't worry, I'm sure we'll find a way to separate them and- "

"WHAT?!" Gwen shouted, "You knew there was no way to take off the watch, and you knew there was a megalomaniac alien overlord after that thing, and you still let my baby cousin wear that? You . . . You… "

"Hey, hey, calm down, cuz." Ben held Gwen back before she could use some karate move against the Vilgaxian, and then he whispered in her ear, "And I'm not a baby! You're only a few hours older than me!" Ben was also obviously embarrassed to be called a "baby" in front of the Director of S.E.C.T. of all people.

"I'm sorry..." Tomyx said solemnly, "I didn't want Mr. Ben to wear it, but we had limited options giving our circumstances. They could have killed us and taken the Omnitrix, which would be much worse."

"Why didn't you use it yourself, huh?" Gwen was still angry.

"The Omnitrix is potentially one of the most powerful weapons in the Universe. I wouldn't trust it to myself. But your cousin... He tried to save me at all costs risking his own life. He is worthy of the Omnitrix."

"Let's talk outside." Director Steel said. Probably, he still didn't trust Tomyx entirely and didn't want him to hear anything important.

In another room, away from the infirmary, Director Steel gestured for Ben, Gwen, and Max to sit down.

"We don't know how long it will take or even if we can find a safe way to get that alien device off your wrist, Benjamin. Until then, you will be a target for Vilgax. We have to train you to be prepared for a fight. And, if you want, I also think you can make good use of this watch as a S.E.C.T. agent." A huge smile crossed Ben's lips.

"WHAT?" Max and Gwen shouted at the same time, clearly not liking the idea.

"Devin, you can't be seriously thinking about . . . " Grandpa began to say.

"Please don't use my real name, Max." Director Steel said, "And of course I'm serious. You started training me to become an agent when I was even younger than Benjamin."

"You didn't want to be an agent, and I didn't want to have to train you! You wanted to have a normal life. Do you remember?" Max questioned, "The Director at the time forced you to enlist in S.E.C.T... "

"I was a fool when I was a teenager. You know that later I saw the importance of my work. But, of course, I remember, for that very reason Benjamin will have the right to make a choice. If he wants, he will have only the basic training to take care of himself in case of any emergency, and will live a normal life without using the watch. But if he's willing, he'll have the full training as a S.E.C.T. agent, and he will be enlisted for missions with us."

Keep living a normal and boring life, or becoming a hero, saving people and kicking butt? It was a very easy choice for the sixteen year old.

"Of course I accept your offer, when do we start?!"

**TO BE CONTINUED**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Director Steel in my story is a composite character between Director Steel from Original Series and Devin Levin from Ultimate Alien Force.
> 
> And I would love to read your comments, whether you liked the chapter or not. I really appreciate constructive criticism.


	3. The Secret Origins of Lucky Girl

****

 

**The Secret Origins of Lucky Girl**

* * *

**Gwen**

* * *

**Three days later. Bellwood. Ben's house.**

"Hi, Gwen!" Aunt Sandra said, opening the door with a smile on her face, "I'm glad you're here, sweetie. Your cousin doesn't want to take that odd watch off, not even at home, maybe you can talk to him."

 _"So Ben didn't tell Aunt Sandra and Uncle Carl the truth about the Omnitrix... I can't believe that Doofus!"_ Gwen thought.

"Dweeb, come here!" Ben appeared at the end of the hall. He grabbed Gwen's hand and quickly led her up the stairs to his bedroom.

Why did his hand feel so soft . . . and warm? _"Because his hand is sticky and probably dirty, DUH GWEN!"_

"I shouldn't show this to any civilians, but we're family," Ben pushed her into his room and locked the door.

He turned to face her and dramatically pressed a button on the Omnitrix - funny, Gwen didn't remember that button being there before - and quickly his whole body was engulfed by some kind of dark goo.

A moment later, Ben was dressed in a military-style black outfit, but not only that, his face was slightly altered, his brown hair turned white, and his green eyes turned red.

"Dweeb, meet Watch Boy, badass hero," Ben grinned, and made a "hero pose" with his hands on his waist, "The name is lame, I know, but it wasn't my idea. I'll try to come up with something better eventually."

She raised a quizzical and amused brow, "How did you discover this new feature of the Omnitrix?"

"S.E.C.T.'s scientists figured it out," He said, "Now, I can do my job as a hero without being recognized by the bad guys, and I no longer have to worry about getting naked after a transformation." He struck a few more 'hero poses', "what do you think?"

"You look like an cartoon character. I can't believe this, those guys from S.E.C.T. already have everything planned to get you killed."

"They just believe in my potential! Who wouldn't? I'm awesome!" Ben said more to himself than anything else.

"They don't care if you live or die! And you should at least tell your parents about all this!" Gwen protested.

"I told my parents I'm going to take the test to be a S.E.C.T. agent next month. They'll be very surprised and happy when they find out I, Ben Tennyson, passed." Ben chuckled.

Being an agent of S.E.C.T. was a prestigious career and offered a good salary. Any parent would probably be proud. But Ben wouldn't be a regular agent, and that was the problem.

"I'm sure they would be against the stupid idea of you going out there using a dangerous alien watch that no one really knows what will do to your health in the long-term, and that in the short term makes you a target for the most dangerous being in the universe!"

"The watch is completely safe for my health, don't worry." Even though his face was different, he still had that condescending, arrogant look that annoyed Gwen so much, "As for being a target for Vilgax, that's why Watch Boy is going to use the Omnitrix, not Ben Tennyson. And even if my parents were against my decision, Director Steel made it clear that my choice is what counts. Telling Mom and Dad about everything would only create needless stress."

"Ben, don't you realize that-"

"I realize you're jeeeeealous... Because I'm a superhero with superpowers and you are noooooot..." Ben hummed.

Her head was pounding with a headache of fury at her idiot cousin. "Of course it's not that, Doofus!"

He was wrong. She was not jealous. Especially because she had powers too. Although she had never learned how to use them . . .

Suddenly someone turned the knob of the door.

"Ben? Gwen?" It was Aunt Sandra.

Ben pressed the button again, his white hair turned back to brown, his red eyes returned to green, and the black military outfit disappeared, leaving Ben back in his normal clothes, white shirt and brown pants.

Gwen unlocked the door with a smile on her face, "Hi, Auntie Sandra."

"Kids . . ." Aunt Sandra looked at them with a strange expression on her face, "What were you doing with this door locked?"

* * *

**Gwen's house. A few hours later.**

It was past 1 in the morning, and Gwen was lying on her bed with her cell phone in her hand, unable to decide whether or not to send the message to her grandmother, Verdona.

Gwen had always been very close to her family on the paternal side - the Tennysons - but, on the other hand, she knew almost nothing about the maternal side of her family. The only maternal relative Gwen knew was Grandma Verdona, and yet she had only seen Verdona five or six times in her life. Gwen's mother, Natalie, had done everything she could to keep her own mother away. Uncle Carl once jokingly said that his brother - Gwen's father, Frank - was very lucky because he didn't have to worry about his mother-in-law, and, of course, Aunt Sandra smacked him on the arm because of that comment.

On Gwen's 10th birthday, Grandma Verdona told Gwen she was a witch and offered to train her. That was the last time Gwen saw her, because after that Natalie banned Grandma from seeing Gwen for good - Natalie didn't know that Verdona had given her cell phone number to Gwen.

Gwen had kept her grandmother's offer in her mind for all these years. Most of the time she was very busy with school and karate and her friends and the summer trips to even think about being a witch but there were some moments when she seriously thought about it.

Now was one of those moments.

Since she couldn't make Ben give up the stupid idea of playing hero, she could at least try to protect him.

A witch could protect Ben.

 _Grandma, I need to see you._ Gwen finally pressed SEND.

"Wow! This is a bad idea . . ."

* * *

Two days later, Gwen got an answer from her grandmother, which was only an address of a house in Bellwood, on the other side of town. Since she was still on vacation, it wasn't difficult to go there in the morning.

Gwen knocked on the door, and a few moments later she was greeted by her grandmother.

"Come in, come in. Look at you, my beautiful granddaughter, you grew up so much!" Verdona hugged Gwen.

"Hi, Grandma!" Gwen said, returning the hug.

No one would say Verdona was over sixty. She looked about forty, tops. It definitely had something to do with magic. Grandma looked like Gwen, but her red hair was curly instead of straight, and her eyes were dark blue instead of green.

A few minutes later, Grandma Verdona brought some cookies and chocolate milk to Gwen. They sat on the couch and began to talk.

"Grandma, I didn't know you had a house in Bellwood," Gwen said.

"I didn't . . . until yesterday. But it was already past time for me to have a house here in Bellwood, close to my daughter and granddaughter."

Gwen wondered how Grandma Verdona had gotten so rich that she could simply buy a house unexpectedly. Hm, maybe there was a good reason to keep away from her, but Gwen pushed those thoughts away.

"Your mother, how is she? How's the law firm she and your dad formed? "

"The firm is doing very well. My parents want me to study Law too. "

"Oh, that's a great idea. So you will know all the loopholes in the law and the best ways to fool the authorities," Verdona said with a wicked grin.

Gwen laughed, but couldn't help thinking her grandmother was serious.

 _"Ben would probably like her . . ."_ Gwen thought.

Ben. It was because of him that she was there. Verdona probably noticed the worried look on Gwen's face, and got right to the subject at hand.

"You are not here because you miss your grandma, and assuming your mother doesn't know you're here, my guess is that you want me to teach you about your 'hidden powers'. Am I right?"

Gwen shuffled in her seat for being found out so easily, "Yes."

Verdona gave a small nod, "May I ask why now?"

"Ben is in big trouble. I have to help him." The words came out of her mouth faster than she could think about what she was saying. Too late now.

"Oh, a boy, I see. I would advise you to forget about him. With your pretty face, I'm sure you can replace your boyfriend in no time, sweetheart," Verdona said in a calm tone.

"Ben is my cousin, not my boyfriend. And he is irreplaceable," Gwen answered angrily.

Verdona eyed her curiously, "Well, for most people cousins are nothing more than some annoyance to put up with on family meetings every once in a while. What makes this Ben so special to you?"

"Are you willing to train me or not?" Gwen wasn't comfortable with that many questions.

Verdona continued examining her, and finally smirked. "You have my rebel attitude. Yes, I will train you. I always hoped that you would embrace your magical heritage one day. Remember the gift I gave you?

"You let me touch your amulet, and said I would be very lucky. I just couldn't tell Mom anything." Gwen chuckled.

Verdona stood up and left, and one minute later she returned, wearing gloves and with a beautiful small rounded stone full of strange inscriptions on her hand.

"This is the Charm of Luck and Probability. You were the last person to touch it, since then I locked it in my safe, so you still have its luck."

"Wow, it's actually real?" Gwen asked, widening her eyes, "Who created it?"

"Bezel, our ancestor and greatest sorcerer of all times, forged six mystical amulets in Anodyne - our homeworld – a millennia ago, the 'Charms of Bezel'. This is one of them."

"Are you from Anodyne, Grandma?"

"Actually, I was born here on Earth, just like you. Many centuries ago, Anodyne was almost completely devastated by a great war, and some Sorcerers decided to look for another world to live. Using their magic, they found a place in which they could blend in almost perfectly, Earth, and they relocated themselves here."

Then Gwen asked a question whose answer she feared, "How different are we from humans? Are we really flesh and blood people? Or are we . . . something else, like energy beings, I don't know?"

Verdona laughed, "Energy beings, that was funny. No, my dear, we are flesh and blood, almost identical to humans, with a "magical gene" of difference. If witches and humans were not so similar, your father and mother couldn't have you."

"I'm half-Sorcerer and half-Human. . . Am I weaker than a full Sorcerer, like you or my mother?" Gwen asked. Maybe it was a bit of vanity, but she didn't want to be 'weaker' than anyone else.

"No, there is no middle ground, either you are a Sorcerer or you are not. You got the magical gene from your mother, so you are just as much a Sorcerer as she and me. But you also have your father's normal gene, so if you have children with a human, depending on which gene you pass on to them, your children may be Sorcerers or normal humans. To avoid that, our people often prefer to marry amongst ourselves." Verdona said.

Gwen was still very curious, she had many other things to ask, but Grandma Verdona interrupted her, "My turn to ask questions. What do you need to do to save your cousin's neck? Steal something valuable, kill someone important?" She casually asked.

"No, of course not." Gwen replied, a little surprised. Yeah, definitely her mother had reasons to keep Grandma Verdona out of her life.

"Even if you want to be a good girl, I advise you not to show your face around. Let me help..." Grandma put her hands on Gwen's face and said, "Transfigura Apparentia!"

Gwen felt something strange and asked, "What happened?"

"Take a look in the mirror."

When Gwen looked at her reflection, her hair was black, her eyes were purple, and her face was slightly different.

Well, if Ben had another identity - "Watch Boy" - why couldn't she have one too?

"Cool!" Gwen quickly thought of a name. She had a luck charm, so... "Lucky Girl," she smiled, proudly looking at herself in the mirror.

"We can start your training now. You'll be a very powerful witch in no time, my dear." Verdona smiled.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * The new looks of Ben and Gwen are a nod to Albedo and Sunny.
> 
> * I made Verdona Gwen's maternal grandmother here in order to explain why Ben doesn't have magical powers like Gwen.
> 
> * For those who want to know how the genetics of Humans and Sorcerers work in my story, here is a more detailed explanation (you can also skip this, if you want):
> 
> \- Sorcerers have the magical gene "M" while humans have an analogue normal, non-magical, gene "m".
> 
> \- Humans and Sorcerers have genes in pairs. A full Sorcerer is "MM" and a Human is "mm".
> 
> \- The "M" gene is dominant, so there is no real difference between a full Sorcerer (MM) and a half Sorcerer (Mm).
> 
> \- A child always gets one gene from the father and one gene from the mother. So, the possibilities are:
> 
> Full Sorcerer (MM) x Human (mm) = Child will always be Sorcerer (Mm)
> 
> Half Sorcerer (Mm) x Full Sorcerer (MM) = Child will always be Sorcerer (MM or Mm)
> 
> Half Sorcerer (Mm) x Human (mm) = Child can be Sorcerer (Mm) or Human (mm)
> 
> Half Sorcerer (Mm) x Half Sorcerer (Mm) = Child can be Sorcerer (Mm or MM), or Human (mm).


	4. Watch Boy meets Lucky Girl

****

**Watch Boy meets Lucky Girl**

* * *

**Gwen**

* * *

"Bye, Mom, Dad, I'm going to my book club meeting now."

Gwen felt a little bad for lying to her parents, but it wasn't technically a lie. She was going to a meeting - _with her grandmother Verdona_ \- to discuss books - _spell books_. And it was for a good cause, to protect the Doofus.

"Darling, come back here," her mother Natalie called.

"What is it, Mom?"

"Did you see that?" Natalie showed the newspaper to Gwen.

The headline was _"Sorceress frustrates jewelry theft"_ and the photo - taken from a cell phone - was of a girl wearing a cat mask with a magical blue glow pulsating from her hand.

Gwen's progress with magic was pretty fast, and, besides, she already knew how to fight very well thanks to her years of karate practice. About a month after she started training spells with her grandmother, both Gwen and Verdona felt that Gwen was ready to hit the streets. Also, unlike the cities of superheroes from cartoons and comic books, Bellwood was "the most normal town in America". There were no mutants, no aliens and no powerful gangs plaguing that town.

Of course, this also meant that a girl with magical powers frustrating a robbery at a jewelry shop would be the most important news of the week in Bellwood.

Gwen held her breath for a moment. Did her mother know it was her? Fortunately, thanks to the _Transfigura Apparentia_ spell, the girl in the photo wasn't a redhead, she had long black hair, and her facial features were a bit different from Gwen's too. But would it be enough to fool her mother, who was also a Sorcerer?

"You have to be careful, Gwen. Looks like there's a Sorceress in Bellwood playing hero. It won't be long until S.E.C.T. finds her, but I fear that they may end up finding other Sorcerers here in our town besides this girl."

"Don't worry, Mom." Gwen smiled, trying to hide her real emotions. _"Thank goodness, Mom has no idea."_

* * *

"Forgive your grandmother's mistake, my dear." Verdona said, "I had no idea the local press would give that much attention to our Lucky Girl. Now you better stay out of the streets for a while so you won't risk drawing S.E.C.T.'s attention."

"Actually, Grandma ..." Gwen began to say, somewhat hesitant, "I intend to join S.E.C.T."

Verdona's eyes widened, but then chuckled, "Right, and I want to be the queen of England." All joking was forgotten when it was clear that Gwen wasn't joking. "Oh Gwen why would you do that? I mean, I know the paycheck is good, but I also know a lot of better ways to make money. Especially with someone of your talents."

 _"Certainly, unlawful ways."_ Gwen thought. Probably Grandma Verdona had stolen much more than the thieves Gwen had arrested before.

"Grandma, it's not about the money. Remember I told you about my cousin? He's working for S.E.C.T, and I need to protect him. This is why I wanted to learn how to use my powers in the first place."

Verdona sighed with a roll of her eyes, "Okay, okay. But don't tell them your real name and don't show your face to anyone there."

"What's the problem?" Gwen asked.

"I may be, and I can't stress this enough, MAY be, on the list of criminals wanted by S.E.C.T." Verdona smirked, "If they dig deep into Gwen Tennyson's life, they may find me, and that would be very unpleasant. You don't want your beloved grandmother being arrested, right?" The last part of her sentence was said with puppy dog eyes and a pouting lip.

Gwen rolled her eyes, "Okay, Grandma. I won't tell anyone who I am. "

Verdona glared at Gwen, "Nobody can know. Not even that cousin you're crushing on."

"I don't have a crush on Ben!" Gwen protested. "And I have to tell him. I want us to be partners. But don't worry, if I ask him to keep it a secret, I'm sure he'll keep it a secret. "

"Honey, I'm sure you can make any boy do everything you want, but even then, he still might end up slipping your name accidentally. It will be safer if he doesn't know."

* * *

Two days later, Ben's family went to Gwen's house to a dinner, and after dinner, the cousins started to play a video game. Gwen took the opportunity to test the waters and find out what Ben thought of the idea of having a partner.

"So, Ben, it looks like you're not the only hero in Bellwood, huh?" Gwen said as they picked their characters for the next Sumo Slammers match.

Ben scoffed, "I really hope this Lucky Girl is a hero, too."

"What do you mean? She stopped a robbery, of course she's a hero," Gwen said, confused.

"S.E.C.T. is investigating some disappearances that happened in Bellwood in recent months. Needy people without family - the press couldn't care less about. And now a sorceress appears out of nowhere? One of the theories that S.E.C.T. is working on is that this girl might be using people to do blood magic."

Gwen's eyes widened in horror. S.E.C.T. was completely wrong, of course. Although unfortunately blood magic was indeed real. Grandma Verdona had told Gwen that there was mana - mystic energy - flowing through the blood of all living beings, and Sorcerers could drain this mana to get a temporary boost on their powers. But of course Gwen was not involved in the disappearance of innocent people. And even though Grandma Verdona wasn't a very honest person, Gwen knew she was not involved in something terrible like that either.

Even in "The most normal town of America" there were strange things going on. And Gwen would find out exactly what it was. But first she needed to make sure Ben knew she - or better, Lucky Girl - was innocent.

"Ben. . . I know Lucky Girl. "

"What?" Ben looked at her, startled, "How-"

"Last week, a thief tried to steal my purse. Lucky Girl was around and helped me. She asked me not to tell anyone, she didn't want to draw attention." Gwen hoped Ben would buy it.

"That doesn't mean anything, Gwen. We already know she's stopping criminals. She might be a bad person fighting other bad guys just for the thrill. She wouldn't be the first one to enjoy the thrill of a dangerous life." Ben said, with a guilty look on his face.

"Lucky Girl is a good person. And she gave me a way to contact her, if I need to. I can set up a meeting between the two of you so you can talk to her. But you have to promise you won't take any other agent with you. I don't want her to be arrested. "

"Don't worry! They are still investigating all possibilities. S.E.C.T. won't arrest anyone without proof. But I can go alone if she is more comfortable that way, no problem. I mean, it's just a girl, she would have no chance against me." Ben didn't catch his cousin scowling at him. Lucky Girl could totally kick that brat butt of his.

There were times when Gwen would do anything to protect Ben, but there were other times - like now - when she had to control herself not to strangle him.

* * *

The boy with white hair and red eyes sitting on a bench stood out in the park. Gwen wondered why Ben had chosen to look like that. Probably because it was "cool". That dweeb did not even think how much attention he would draw to himself.

Lucky Girl and Verdona watched the spot where Ben was from a safe distance for about twenty minutes. They discreetly tried to find out if there were any suspicious movement of disguised S.E.C.T. agents around there. So far there was nothing.

"I told you, Grandma, he promised me he would come alone, and he has. We can trust him," Gwen said.

Verdona sat cross legged, looking somewhat bored. "Well, your cousin is either too arrogant or too dumb to think it's safe to meet an unknown witch without taking any precautions."

"He's arrogant AND dumb." Gwen sighed, "That's why I have to help him in this hero thing."

"Okay, I'll stay here, and if I notice something suspicious, I'll get you out of there. You can go, but please remember your grandma is watching and so none of that teenage making out, or whatever it is you kids do."

Gwen simply rolled her eyes and left. She walked to where Ben was and sat down next to him on the bench.

"Hello. Our mutual friend, Gwendolyn, told me about you. You can call me Lucky Girl." She smiled at him, and extended her hand.

Ben was completely speechless, staring at her wide-eyed.

For a second, Gwen considered the possibility that her disguise had failed and Ben had recognized her, even with black hair, purple eyes, and different facial features. She still tried to remain calm, though.

"O-Oh, s-sorry," Ben said, finally shaking hands with her. Lucky Girl watched him curiously. He was staring strangely at her. "I didn't th-think of a name for myself yet, the guys at S.E.C.T. w-want to call me W-Watch Boy, but that name is r-ridiculous."

Ben was nervous, stuttering and talking too much. And he had not yet let go of her hand. What was wrong with him?

"You can just call me Ben, and I'll tell you everything about myself if you go out with me!" He snapped his mouth shut. He had no real idea of what he was doing, but one thing was clear by now: he was totally hitting on her!

He was about to reveal his secret identity to a complete stranger. She wasn't actually a stranger, of course, and she already knew his true name, but Ben didn't know that! Could he be even more of a doofus? Gwen decided to put that theory to the test.

"I'm so curious to know who you really are... " Even if it was a little weird to do that knowing that she was talking to her cousin, Lucky Girl did her best 'flirty voice', "If I let you kiss me, would you tell me everything about yourself... handsome?"

Without missing a beat, he said "Yes!" though it was mostly a scream.

"You Mega Doo- Idiot!" She had almost called him by the usual nickname 'Doofus' but stopped in time. Gwen couldn't give her cousin any hint of her real identity. She proceeded, speaking in a low, yet angry, voice, "How can you be dumb enough to reveal your identity to a stranger? And accepting a kiss from a Sorceress? Don't you know that experienced Sorcerers know how to do a love spell that can control people with a kiss? How can you be such an idiot?"

"What? Oh PFFT I knew it was a test this whole time!" Ben folded his arms, his bravado forcing Gwen to roll her eyes, "And I thought you were here to ask me to believe you, that you're innocent and a good person. So I decided to believe you, and you're playing games with me? You're a total dweeb."

"I want you to trust me, but I don't want you to be easily fooled by every pretty girl who appears in front of you! Our friend Gwendolyn told me about you. You have a good heart and great powers, but it is clear that you are lacking responsibility. I can be your partner, and help you."

"And what do you get out of it?" Ben asked.

Well, he was finally starting to use the right head.

"Your people are investigating me because of those disappearances, right? With your help, I can prove my innocence. We can go after the real bad guys behind this."

"You're just a suspect, S.E.C.T. won't arrest you. You can go straight to them, register and explain that you are innocent. You don't need me for this."

If he kept asking good questions like that, Gwen might even start to believe her cousin had the potential to be smart.

"True. But they would probably keep me under surveillance and wouldn't let me take part in the investigations. And this is my city too, if there's anyone here kidnapping innocent people, I want to end it myself. You have access to the investigations S.E.C.T. is doing. We can check the other suspects."

"Seems fair. Okay, I'll tell you what I know. No one had noticed the disappearances until now. It was a girl named Julie who reported it. She volunteers in a place that distributes food for the needy, and she noticed that some people just stopped showing up and no one else had heard from them since. The police has this case open, and then a witch - you - suddenly appear in town, so because of the timing S.E.C.T. was called to see if there is any connection."

"It might be hard to believe, but it's just a coincidence. I have nothing to do with that," Lucky Girl said with sincerity.

"I believe you. It's very likely that these disappearances have been going on for quite some time, and only now someone noticed it. Unfortunately, poor people are invisible in the eyes of society," Ben lamented.

Lucky Girl felt the urge to put her hand on his shoulder. "We will stop the people behind this. We can start by checking out the place where this Julie girl is volunteering. The bad guys might be picking their victims there somehow," Lucky Girl suggested.

"It sounds like a good plan to me. I can check S.E.C.T.'s files and I'll give you more information later, if you give me your cell phone number of course. . . " Ben cracked his best flirty smile that she found very cute - err, very revolting.

* * *

Later, Gwen went to Ben's house to talk to him.

"So, Ben, what did you think of Lucky Girl?" Gwen asked, curious to know Ben's opinion of her alter-ego.

"I get why you two became friends. She's a dweeb just like you." Ben chuckled. Currently he was laying on his bed staring at the ceiling with the same look he had on when he met Lucky Girl. "We will investigate the disappearances together."

"I'm glad you got a partner to watch your back, Doofus," Gwen said with a smile.

Ben was silent for a moment, then said in a whisper, "Dweeb, I. . . need your help."

"My help? For what?" Gwen was a little surprised. Ben had a big ego, he wouldn't ask her for help with something he could take care of himself, so whatever problem he had, it was probably very serious.

"Don't laugh at me, ok?" Ben had a silly smile on his face, "I didn't believe in love at first sight until yesterday, but when I saw Lucky Girl, I immediately felt a connection between us . . . I think I'm in love with her."

_". . . . . crap . . . ."_

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	5. Monsters Keepers, part I

**Monsters Keepers, Part I**

* * *

**Gwen**

* * *

_"Crap, crap, crap . . . Ben has a crush on Lucky Girl?! But that's me!"_ Gwen thought to herself.

"Err ... Ben, that's not a good idea. I mean, you and this girl are going to be partners. It's never good to mix personal and professional life. It can be a problem," Gwen said.

"Yeah, you're right." Ben sighed looking somewhat defeated. "But I can't be just her partner. I can't ignore how I feel about her."

"But you barely know her! What's so special about her besides the cool magic powers?" Gwen asked, folding her arms.

"It has nothing to do with her powers. She's …" Ben shut his mouth wanting to drop the subject. "Will you help me or not, Dweeb?"

"I'm trying to help you, Doofus. By making you see that these 'feelings' you think you have are nothing more than a silly infatuation. You and she can be great partners. Don't ruin this!" She snapped.

"Do you think I'm not mature enough to have real feelings for a girl? Do you think I'm going to ruin everything?" Ben said in a hurt tone. "I'm sorry I asked you for help, Gwen. You can go now."

Gwen felt guilty and she decided to change her strategy. Instead of Gwen trying to convince Ben to give up on Lucky Girl, Gwen would play the supportive role and Lucky Girl herself would turn Ben down.

"I'm sorry, cus ... I was just trying to protect you." Gwen sat down on the bed next to her cousin, "How can I help you?"

"You know, Gwen, the impression I had of Lucky Girl ..." Ben's face went red "... There's something about her that reminds me a lot of you. You know, for a second, I even thought she might be you in a disguise. Ha crazy right?"

Gwen gave a halfhearted laugh. "Ben, what a silly idea heh, heh."

"Yeah, I mean, Lucky Girl is a Sorceress. That means her father and/or her mother has to be a Sorcerer too. And Uncle Frank is obviously human like my dad, and your mother . . . Well, don't get me wrong, I love Aunt Lilie, but she's kinda prejudiced towards aliens. Of course, she's definitely not a Sorceress."

Every once in a while, Gwen's mother would make some mean comments about aliens. Gwen always thought it was a defense mechanism, so nobody would suspect that Natalie Tennyson was actually an alien sorceress.

"And besides ..." Ben said putting his hand on her shoulder, "You're my cousin and my best friend. If you were an alien, you would've told me a long time ago. "

"Heh, of course." Gwen tried to hide her shame with a smile and felt a pang of guilt.

Ben never hid anything from her - about the watch, about S.E.C.T., all she had to do was ask and he would answer anything, even if S.E.C.T. had asked him to keep it a secret. But Ben was the rule breaker son, while Gwen was the dutiful daughter. When her mother said she couldn't tell anyone about her heritage, she obeyed. And when her grandmother said she couldn't tell anyone that she was the Lucky Girl, she also obeyed. She wanted to tell Ben because she didn't like to hide things from him and it would also make things much easier for him to stop crushing on Lucky Girl, but she couldn't say anything.

"So, Gwen, considering that you and Lucky Girl are so much alike ... Give me some tips, what does a guy like me have to do to get noticed by a girl like you, er, Lucky Girl?"

* * *

**Charity Keepers Hall, 2:00 P.M.**

As Lucky Girl had suggested to Ben the day before, the pair was going to start investigating the mysterious disappearance of homeless people in Bellwood. Their first action would be going to the place those people were last seen and talk to the girl who reported the disappearances, Julie Yamamoto.

Lucky Girl - wearing civillian clothes, black jeans and a purple blouse, saw Ben wearing his standard black S.E.C.T uniform, standing in front of a large hall.

"Hello Ben. This is the place, right?" She asked, staring at the sign that read _'Charity Keepers - Institution founded by Eric Edwards.'_

Lucky Girl wanted to stay professional, so as to not encourage him in his "feelings", but clearly he had other ideas.

"Hey, Lucky Girl!" Ben smiled at her with his best macho, flirty and toothy grin, "I hope S.E.C.T. doesn't find out about our little investigation off the books. I mean, I'm not officially authorized to be part of this investigation . . . But, of course, I can't say no to you." His chest was puffed out and his hands were on his hips.

They entered the hall, and, for a while, Lucky Girl just watched the volunteers giving soup to people. "This is very nice," she thought.

"Good afternoon." Ben spoke to a volunteer. "Where can we find Julie Yamamoto?"

"Oh, uh, she's not here." He seemed a little uncomfortable with the kid with red eyes and white hair. Gwen knew the Doofus should've picked a more normal look for his disguise. "Julie's in an office at Mr. Edwards' company's building behind this hall."

* * *

**Conduit Edwards building, 2:05 P.M.**

Gwen was aware that the founder of the charity institution, Eric Edwards, was a businessman too. He was also the owner of "Conduit Edwards", an engineering company.

Watch Boy and Lucky Girl identified themselves to the receptionist and were directed to a small office where they found a short-haired Asian girl sitting at a desk with a computer and a telephone nearby. She seemed about the same age as Gwen.

"Hi, Miss Yamamoto. This is my partner Lucky Girl and I'm Watch Boy. We are agents of S.E.C.T." Ben showed his S.E.C.T. ID to the girl. "We want to talk about the disappearances you reported."

"Oh, yes, of course. Anything to help find them," Julie said.

"The first thing I have to ask is, how did you notice the disappearances if you don't stay at the Charity Keepers hall?" Ben asked.

That was a good question. Gwen was thinking about it too.

"Well, actually, I used to be there, but I was 'transferred' here. Mr. Edwards thought I was too emotionally shaken with the disappearances and asked me to stay away for a while. My work is now to talk to the people who contact the Charity Keepers wanting to ask questions or make donations."

 _"Hm ... Is Mr. Edwards really worried about Julie or does he just want to prevent her from seeing more strange things happening in his institution?"_ Lucky Girl thought.

"What led you to report the disappearances to the police?" Lucky Girl asked.

"The other volunteers said that a person no longer showing up is not actually uncommon. But there was a woman, Adriana, I was teaching her to read and write. She was so excited. . . And she just stopped showing up and no one had heard from her. That's when I thought I should talk to the police. None of the people who disappeared had a family to worry about them. I had to do something. "

"You did the right thing," Ben said.

They asked a few more questions, before deciding it was time to go.

"Well, if anything else happens, or if you remember any more details, you can call me at this number," Lucky Girl said, writing on a piece of paper the number of an untraceable cell phone Verdona had given her.

"Thank you." They were about to leave when she got their attention, "Err ... I'm new in town, my family moved to Bellwood this past summer. I don't know many people around here, so ... You two seem to be about my age. I'd love to go out with you guys sometime, if you're up for it." Julie gave them an awkward smile.

For Julie's own sake, it wouldn't be good for her to hang out with Watch Boy and Lucky Girl, two heroes/agents of S.E.C.T. But she could still befriend Ben and Gwen Tennyson, two normal teenagers.

"Which school do you go to, Miss Yamamoto?" Lucky Girl asked with a gentle voice.

"I will be going to Madison High School," Julie said.

"I'm sure a nice girl like you will make lots of friends there. My partner and I are kind of . . . weird. I don't think you would want to hang out with us." Julie thanked them and the two of them left the small office.

After they left the office Lucky Girl asked Ben, "Which school do you go to, Ben?" Gwen already knew the answer, of course, but Lucky Girl didn't.

"Well, in my secret identity, I attend Madison High School," Ben replied.

She smirked at Ben, "Hm ... the same school as Julie. I think you two can be good friends... Maybe even more than that."

Ben's eyes widened, certainly realizing what Lucky Girl was implying. "No, no way. I ... I'm already interested in someone else . . . " he said in a whisper.

Gwen already knew that too. She had to make him give up on that 'someone else'.

"Well, Julie has a good heart, and she's cute ... you shouldn't ignore her." Lucky Girl tried to persuade him.

"I'm sure Julie is a great girl, but ..." Ben looked into Lucky Girl's eyes, "The girl I like has a good heart too, she's a hero! And she is stunning! There's no way I can look at any other girl with her in the same room."

Lucky Girl bit her lip. She _had_ to feel disappointed that her plan to make Ben give up on her wasn't working . . . but she was also . . . flattered.

 _"What girl doesn't like to hear compliments?"_ Gwen thought to herself, trying to justify why she couldn't stop that awkward smile from crossing her lips.

Ben, noticing her smile, shortened the distance between them. He was leaning in towards her . . . Lucky Girl quickly took a step back before her cousin could get _too_ close.

"Watch Boy, our relationship has to be strictly professional," she said, her tone of voice way less convincing than she intended it to be.

"Of course, of course," Ben said. But Gwen knew him very well. His words agreed with her, but his eyes said _"Next time, I'll get to steal a kiss from you."_

"We should talk to this Edwards guy. I think it's very suspicious that he transferred Julie. . . Maybe he was really worried about her emotional health, but I think it's more likely that he's trying to avoid drawing attention to any future disappearance. . . "

"Do you think . . . Eric Edwards might have created the Charity Keepers just as a way to find victims that no one will care about?" Ben asked in a low and somber tone.

"I think we should talk to him," Lucky Girl replied.

Unbelievably, Eric Edwards agreed to meet with them that same day. Watch Boy and Lucky Girl sat down on a very comfortable couch to wait for the businessman. A few minutes later, a dark brown haired man looking about 40 and wearing a very expensive Armani suit gestured for them to enter his office.

"Good Afternoon. The agents of S.E.C.T are getting younger and younger nowadays, aren't they?" Edwards smiled. "How can I help you? I want to do everything I can to help find those missing people. "

"Mr. Edwards, just out of curiosity, when did you decide to create the Charity Keepers?" Lucky Girl asked.

An expression of deep sadness appeared on Edwards' face. "When I was about your age, my friends and I went mountain hiking. But nobody knew there were aliens hiding there. Vilgaxians. . . They attacked us and I ran. I was the only one who survived, but the guilt of running and leaving my friends behind still tears me apart to this day."

A tear fell from the man's eye. Lucky Girl thought about telling him that there was nothing he could've done and he was not to blame for what happened, but. . . there was something about him that she didn't fully trust.

"I'm trying to make up for it. That's why I decided to create the Charity Keepers." He wiped his eyes with his sleeve before giving them a charming smile.

"Do you have any thoughts about why people being helped by your institution are disappearing?" Ben asked.

"Well, I'm not always there in person, but I know that, unfortunately, some people end up involved with drugs and other bad things and they stop coming. But I don't know, with a witch in town I really fear that this could be a criminal activity... If this witch needs victims for her blood magic or what not, unfortunately I can't think of easier targets than the poor people that my institution helps."

Now Gwen was starting to like him less and less. Of course the guy didn't know he was talking to said witch.

"Lucky Girl so far has only done heroic deeds. I find it very hard to believe that she is responsible for something terrible like the kidnapping of innocent people," Lucky Girl replied.

"Ah yes. But you never know, maybe she's just playing hero so people don't get suspicious of her. There are a lot of wolves in sheep's clothing out there," Edwards said.

"Yes, indeed, there are a lot of wolves in sheep's clothing out there . . . " Lucky Girl said, in a tone a little bit more aggressive than she originally intended.

* * *

**Gwen's house, midnight.**

Lying on her bed, tossing and turning, Gwen couldn't sleep. She was still suspicious that Eric Edwards was rotten, but there was nothing she could do to prove it.

Then a message popped up on her untraceable cell phone. _"Lucky Girl, it's Julie. Please, meet me right now at the following address: (...) Just you and your partner, I won't talk to anybody else."_

Gwen tried to call Julie, but no one answered. Anyway, it was a weird message, but she couldn't just ignore it. She called Ben, and asked him to be at that address as soon as possible and wait for her.

 _"Transfigura Apparentia!"_ Gwen recited the spell, this time not only changing her looks but also trading her pajamas for Lucky Girl's costume.

* * *

**Near an abandoned warehouse, a quarter past twelve a.m**

"Hi Lucky Girl! I'll admit, I wasn't expecting for you to want to move on with things that fast, and I could think of better places than an abandoned warehouse, but I still liked your idea . . . " Ben spoke with a smirk.

"What are you talking about?" Lucky Girl asked confused.

"You and me, alone in a deserted place, this late. . . Didn't you call me here so we could take our relationship to the next level?" Ben asked.

"First off, we don't HAVE a relationship. We're PARTNERS!" Lucky Girl snapped. "Second, I got a message from Julie asking to meet us here."

Strangely he didn't seem dejected in the slightest. "Oh, I understand. A meeting here is weird, but I suppose this is the only lead we have. Let's go then."

The warehouse was empty, but there was a floor opening. A stone staircase led them to a cold and dark place underground.

"Lux!" Lucky Girl said, and a small blue ball of light appeared in her hand. The place was totally enclosed and surrounded by stone walls, and just ahead of them there was some kind of pool full of water about 32 feet long 10 feet wide and very deep.

Suddenly they heard the sound of metal clacking on the floor. A metal barrier closed the passage from where Ben and Lucky Girl had come from, leaving them trapped there.

Before the young heroes could react, the lights went on, and they saw Eric Edwards standing on the other side of the pool along with two bad looking men holding a teenage girl - Julie Yamamoto - who was trying to free herself from their grasp without success.

"Welcome, heroes. I'm glad you got my message," Eric Edwards said with a wicked grin, holding a cell phone in his hand.

"It was you who sent the message for us to come here," Lucky Girl said.

"Exactly. And now you're all going to disappear."

The water began to bubble.

There was something in that pool.

_"Crap, crap, crap . . ."_

**TO BE CONTINUED**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, write a small review (or a long one, your choice xD) and let me know your thoughts on the fic (praise, criticism, suggestions, anything). I will be very happy to hear from you :)


	6. Monsters Keepers, part II

**Monsters Keepers, part II**

* * *

**Ben**

* * *

Whatever was in the water was _huge_ \- and worse, it didn't seem to intimidate Eric Edwards, or his goons, who were still holding Julie Yamamoto.

"I told you my story before, but there was one bit I may have lied about," Edwards said in a somber tone. "Remember when I said my friends and I went on a hike? Vilgaxians attacked us, and I ran away? Actually, I tried to run away, but I wasn't able to. They caught me, and I begged for mercy . . . And the Vilgaxians showed mercy as soon as I swore loyalty to their emperor, Vilgax, and to their god, Cthulhu."

Were the crimes of Eric Edwards the result of coercion by the Vilgaxians? Maybe then Ben could convince him to surrender.

"Edwards, let the girl go, tell us what you did to those missing people, and surrender. S.E.C.T. can protect you from the Vilgaxians. You will still have to pay for your crimes, but we can guarantee a lower sentence."

"If S.E.C.T. could protect anyone, my friends wouldn't be dead," Edwards replied, "No, Watch Boy. The problem with S.E.C.T. is that you guys think you can stop the inevitable. Vilgax has already conquered many worlds, sooner or later he will take over Earth as well. We should be discussing the terms of our surrender."

"They killed your friends. You said it yourself! How can you want us to surrender to them?" Ben asked.

"Our corrupt authorities are the only ones to blame for the death of innocent people in this futile resistance against the Vilgaxians. Presidents, ministers and politicians who are clinging to power instead of accepting reality," Edwards said, his voice filled with passion. "Submission to Vilgax is Cthulhu's will. Many other worlds tried to go against it, and fell before him. If we accept Vilgax as our emperor, we will be rewarded instead of slaughtered."

"Okay, he's lost it," Ben muttered, "Where are the missing people?"

Edwards shrugged, "I've delivered them to the Vilgaxians. They needed subjects for some experiments. I honestly don't know the gory details, but I doubt those people are still alive."

"YOU MONSTER!" Lucky Girl snapped. "Those people. . . Your Institution 'Charity Keepers'. . . "

"My institution is the real deal my dear. I help a lot of people, and I assure you that weighing everything in the balance, I do much more good than bad for our society. Sadly, some sacrifices are necessary." Edwards really seemed to believe in what he was saying.

"You will not get away with it," Lucky Girl said.

"Well thanks to you, Lucky Girl, I will. Everyone's afraid of witches. Bellwood's citizens will have no difficulty accepting that the new witch in town was killing poor homeless people for her magic rituals." Edwards smiled again. "S.E.C.T. agent Watch Boy was dumb enough to be seduced by her, and she used him to find the girl who noticed the disappearances of her victims - Miss Yamamoto here. I will gladly give the footage from my company's cameras that show you both talking to Julie when the police start investigating her disappearance soon. I'm sure when the three of you vanish, everyone will think that Lucky Girl killed Watch Boy and Julie, and then fled from this town."

"You think you're going to kill us?" Ben's fingers were already dancing over the Omnitrix, ready to go hero at a second's notice. The only thing stopping him was his concern about what they could do to Julie.

"Oh, I won't kill anyone. _She_ will." Edwards motioned to the water beneath him. "I got a task from the Vilgaxians. All I have to do is take care of this little girl, whose name is-"

Suddenly an enormous green tentacle shot from the water and reached for its next meal. Edwards grabbed Julie and shoved her in the direction of the appendage, seeing as how it wasn't really picky about where its food came from. The slimy tentacle wrapped around her legs and began to drag her into the pool. "AAAAAAAAAH," Julie screamed.

"GOING HERO!" Ben jumped in the water, and immediately slammed down the watch to begin his transformation.

It was still an odd feeling, one he doubted he would ever get used to, but right now he was too focused on saving the girl to dwell too much on it. Thin aquatic scales replaced skin, fins replaced his hands and feet, gills sprouted from his neck, and to top of the anglerfish-like head, a gray humanoid body like appearance, were razor sharp claws, and a set of jaws that could swallow a truck tire whole. Earning this alien the name, Ripjaws.

He hit the water with a splash swimming at top speeds while reaching for Julie, who was desperately trying to grab a hold of him. But it wasn't until he had her in his claws that he saw what he was up against. The giant squid was more than twice his size and was nothing but tentacles and a big head full of teeth. With Julie in her tentacles, the monster easily pulled the girl closer and closer to her open mouth . . .

With all his power Ripjaws bit the tentacle holding Julie. The monster squirmed in pain, her blood blurring the water. With his claws still having a hold of Julie, Ripjaws wrenched her from the creature's grasp. The Squid Monster's cries of pain echoed through the water as Ripjaws swam to the surface. As soon as they broke the water, Julie's oxygen deprived lungs took in an enormous burst of air, almost choking as she did so.

Lucky Girl was at the water's edge, ready to help Julie out of the water.

"Edwards and his henchmen escaped by another passage, and they got us trapped in here," Lucky Girl said. "Is everything okay with you?"

"Don't worry," he answered in the deep, gasping voice of the alien. "It was easy. I didn't actually have to beat the monster, I just had to get Julie out of the pool. She can't harm us here out of the water."

But he was wrong. With astonishment, he watched the Squid Monster come out of the pool, using her tentacles to move around on the dry floor. She was pissed.

 _"Uh, oh, we're screwed . . ."_ Ripjaws thought.

Lucky Girl also stared at the Squid Monster with wide-eyes.

Julie was utterly frightened - a natural reaction for a normal person who had been kidnapped and almost devoured by a Squid Monster.

One of the Squid's tentacles immediately grabbed Ripjaws, and tossed him aside like a ragdoll, then its enormous bulb-like eyes zeroed in on Lucky Girl and Julie, still hungry.

When a tentacle tried to catch Lucky Girl, she managed to grab it and cast a spell, "Incendia!"

The squid's tentacle immediately burst into flames causing the monster to retreat back into the water. Lucky Girl ran to Ripjaws' side to check on him.

SPLASH!

Once again a tentacle exploded from the pool and reached for whatever was closest to stuff into her gullet, and once again her grasp found Julie. Lucky Girl charged, a spell on her lips, but the tentacle that had grabbed Julie thrashed wildly, crashing into Lucky Girl and knocked her away from the pool. Julie cried out for help, but she was quickly being lowered into its jaws.

"HEY! HOW 'BOUT YOU CHEW ON SOME RAW RIPJAWS" The alien-fish leapt into the monster's mouth, took a large bite of the squid's tongue and jumped back out, grabbing Julie on the way out. Once again, the bloodied beast screamed in agony. "Now let's-"

BAM!

A red light flashed, changing the razor jawed fish into a normal teenage boy, "Oh no! Not NOW!" The squid squirmed from the pool again, it's anger angled at the two cowering beneath her. Ben threw himself on top of Julie, hoping the creature would take him instead . . .

But that didn't happen.

The next thing he knew, the monster stopped moving and collapsed onto the floor, and he saw a gasping Lucky Girl with a strong blue gleam pulsing from her hand.

"You kept it distracted..." Lucky Girl, still breathing heavily, smiled at Ben. "And I managed to hit the monster right in its brain with a huge blast of mana." Suddenly she dropped to her knees, "Probably wasn't the best idea. I feel so weak now . . ."

"Are you kidding?" Ben was by her side to help her to her feet, "If it weren't for you we'd be squid food by now."

"You two," Julie said softly, "you saved my life."

Ben gave her a wide toothy grin, "All in a day's work for Lucky Girl and, uh, me."

_"Crap, I still need a good name."_

* * *

They called S.E.C.T, and a few minutes later a team of agents arrived at the warehouse taking Watch Boy, Lucky Girl, and Julie to the nearest S.E.C.T base in Bellwood.

Fortunately, with a witness - Julie - who had heard the confession of the criminal, and with the body of the Squid Monster as evidence, S.E.C.T. would be able to get an arrest warrant for Eric Edwards for his crimes.

At that moment, Lucky Girl was discussing the details of her registration with some high-ranking agents while Watch Boy was waiting for her at the front desk.

 _"Dude you got this. Yes, it's true that usually you're a disaster with girls, but you got this. Things are different now, I totally kicked alien butt, and Lucky Girl saw it. This time things will work out!"_ Ben thought.

"Hey," Lucky Girl arrived a few moments later and sat next to him smiling.

"Hey," Ben replied, with a smile of his own. "We did a great job as a team, huh? I'd like to talk to our superiors to see if we can be partners on a permanent basis. . . If you agree with that, of course." he stammered.

"Actually . . . I'm ahead of you on that," Lucky Girl said, "When I registered, I specifically asked to be your partner. I mean, if it were not for me, you would've been devoured by a monster today, so I think it's best if I stay around to save your butt."

Now Ben's smile had grown even wider. _"She wants to be my partner! I think she likes me too!"_

"I would've saved myself anyway." Ben shrugged. "And I'm sure I'll save your butt many times too, and I'll remember to rub it in your face as well," He said, in a joking tone.

In that moment, Lucky Girl's cell phone rang. She stood up and took a few steps away to answer the call.

Now Lucky Girl was with her back turned to Ben, his eyes fell south. _"Whoa! Speaking of BUTT! Well, it's one more thing Lucky Girl has in common with Gwen. And, of course, since Lucky Girl is not my cousin, I can admire her 'assets' without feeling guilty afterwards!"_

"Yeah, I really could use a ride," Lucky Girl said on the phone. "No, I still don't trust my teleportation spell much. I think I have to train some more with you."

She ended the call and went back to talking to Ben. "I'm sorry."

"No problem," Ben said, without revealing that he had been 'enjoying the view'.

She shuffled a bit, as if she were unsure of what she was about to say. "I wanted to tell you, what you did, jumping in front of that girl to save her... it was very reckless, and stupid, but heroic too. I'm impressed," Lucky Girl said, blushing a little.

 _"I've impressed Lucky Girl!"_ Ben thought, excited.

"I get the feeling you like her?" Lucky Girl asked with a smirk on her face.

"You don't need to be jealous," he smirked back to her, "I would do that for any innocent person."

She sputtered, "I'm not jealous. I really think you two would make a very cute couple and-"

Ben was barely paying attention to her words now.

"Can you kiss me- I mean, can I kiss you?" Ben was quite nervous.

Lucky Girl, with eyes the size of dinner plates, folded her arms and shuffled, finding great interest in the wall to the left of them. But then she finally spoke, "Ok. You can give me a peck on the cheek, like friends do."

It wasn't what he wanted, but it was a great start! Lucky Girl turned her cheek to Ben. He held her head gently, and pressed his lips on her face, planting a very long kiss on her. Ben certainly took his time savoring Lucky Girl's soft cheek on his lips.

Then both teenagers' faces went red, flushed with embarrassment.

"We. . . maybe we can go out on a date? So we get to know each other better and become more than just friends?" Ben asked full of hope.

"Ben . . . You're very cute, and I like you, I really do, but as a friend," Lucky Girl said solemnly, "I-I'm-"

Ben's heart sank. He had been friend-zoned once again. And then it hit him.

"I see. You already have a boyfriend." Just now, she was talking to someone on the phone who was going to give her a ride and with whom she trained her spells. It was obviously her boyfriend. How could Ben have failed to see this before? Did his feelings for her blind him to the obvious? An amazing girl like Lucky Girl, of course, she already had someone and wouldn't be interested in him. "I'm sorry, if my parents wake up at night and realize I'm not home, I'll be in trouble. I have to go."

Ben dialed, slammed his watch, and turned into XLR8.

Lucky Girl tried to stop him from leaving, "Ben, wait, we have to talk-" But he was gone in a flash.

XLR8 ran away as fast as he could. He was too heartbroken to talk to anyone right now. In his head, he went through the long list of girls who had rejected him before, like Kai Green and Patty Berkenfeld. Now, even with an awesome alien watch on his wrist, Ben Tennyson was still the same old single, loser.

 _"I really thought this time things would work out for me,"_ XLR8 thought, disappointed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the sad ending, but it was necessary for the story at this point.
> 
> Lucky Girl/Gwen was actually talking to Verdona on the phone.


	7. Smoke and Mirrors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pic: Agent Molly Gunther and Agent Elliot.

* * *

 

**Smoke and Mirrors**

* * *

**Gwen**

* * *

**Verdona's House, Bellwood.**

"Alohomora!" Gwen, with both hands resting on top of the safe, uttered the magical words and her hands briefly flickered in a very weak blue light. But the safe didn't open. That was the third time the girl had tried the spell without success. "Very funny, Grandma. You're pranking me. You've warded the vault off against magic."

Verdona, sat off to the side with her legs crossed, magazine in hand and a cup of tea in the other, let out a long sigh that showed her disappointment with her granddaughter. "I didn't ward off the vault. The problem is that you're distracted."

"Perhaps. I mean, I don't know if I'm comfortable trying to open a safe. This looks like Stealing 101 to Sorcerers," Gwen replied, trying to change the subject. She knew why she was distracted, and she suspected her grandmother also knew, but she wanted to avoid talking about that.

"Honey, I'm sure you can find heroic ways to use this ability as well. But we both know that's not what's distracting you," Verdona replied, getting up, "It's a certain brown haired, green eyed, stud named Benjamin."

Gwen wanted to fight back, but trying to argue with her grandmother was useless. Verdona was a born liar after all and could spot one a mile and a half away. "Okay, you're right." Gwen folded her arms. "I think Ben doesn't want to be my partner anymore. I can't really blame him. He thinks he's in love with me- I mean, with Lucky Girl. It would be too painful for him to have to work with her all the time. But the responsibility for all this confusion is on you, because you still don't want me to reveal my identity to him-"

"I'm responsible?" Verdona snorted. "I'm not very fond of the idea of you and Ben together, true, because he is. . . human. I'd rather see you dating a Sorcerer, of course. But I never forbade you from dating Ben. That's on you."

"He's my _cousin_ , Grandma!" Gwen replied.

"Sometimes, I forget that your mother raised you like a typical American girl, not a Sorceress." Verdona rolled her eyes. "We Sorcerers are a _free-spirited_ people, Gwen, we don't have to obey social conventions of humans. We are superior to them."

"We are not superior to anyone! And I don't like Ben that way!" she protested. Verdona was acting as if Gwen had feelings for Ben and was repressing those feelings because of social pressure. That wasn't the case. She didn't _like_ Ben. Definitely not. Not even a little bit. "I wish I could tell him the truth."

"Okay, Gwen. Do you want to tell him the truth? All right, go ahead! I give you my permission! But that will only make things worse. You've been hiding from him the fact that you are a Sorceress for years. You want to be his partner because you think he can't handle things by himself. Ben will not accept that easily," Verdona replied, frowning.

Gwen lowered her head. Her grandmother was right.

"It's too dangerous for him to do this without me, Grandma," Gwen whispered, "I have to convince him to stay as Lucky Girl's partner."

"Hm . . ." Verdona put her hand on her chin, thinking. "You said this kid has a big ego. You can use that in your favor."

* * *

**Cafe Le'Roys**

"Here is your order, kids." The chubby middle-aged lady brought two pieces of pie for the Tennyson cousins.

"Thank you very much, Mrs. Dalton." Gwen thanked her with a smile.

For a few moments, Gwen just watched her brown-haired cousin eating his pie. She was thinking of a clever way to start the conversation. "You know, Ben, I'm not hungry. Would you like to have my pie too?"

Ben looked at her with a confused expression on his face. "Why are you acting so nice? What do you want from me?"

"I don't want anything," Gwen said in a gentle voice. "I'm a good cousin, and I understand you're going through a rough time, so I want to give you all my support . . . and pie."

Ben tilted his head a little to the side. "If you think I'm sad or something because Lucky Girl turned me down. Pfft well you're wrong. I'm totally over her."

There was one thing she could always count on about Ben. He could be completely broken inside, but he would always put up a tough guy attitude in front of people - including her. Normally, this was something that made Gwen angry, because it's a lot harder to help someone who doesn't open up, but now Gwen would use that in her favor.

"We're family, Ben. You know you can talk to me," she said, putting her hand on top of his. "We both know you are not over Lucky Girl. If you were, you would have no problem staying as her partner."

"H-How did you know that?" Ben asked, surprised.

"Well, that girl is persistent. After you didn't answer her messages, she texted me. But don't worry, I told her to let go of that partnership thing. I explained to Lucky Girl that you like her a lot, and it would be awkward and painful for you to have to work close to her knowing that she doesn't like you back. It was not right of her to ask you that. She should give you some space and let you heal your emotional wounds."

"WHAT? I can't believe you said that!" Ben spoke in an angry tone. "'Emotional wounds'? If she tells this crap to someone, people will think I'm a crying baby. I can't let that happen."

Ben took out his cell phone from his pocket, and began typing furiously. Then he showed the phone's screen to Gwen.

Lucky Girl (2 days ago): _"Ben, you are a wonderful person and one of the best agents of S.E.C.T. I wish we would continue to be friends and working partners."_ _  
_  
Ben (seconds ago): _"Fine by me. If my cousin said something to you, please ignore her, she hates me and was just trying to make fun of me in a very unfunny way."_

She should be happy that her plan had worked perfectly, but she could only think of one thing.

"Do you think I hate you, Ben?" she asked in a low voice.

"Maybe I was kinda harsh on that message. But I do think we love-hate each other." Ben replied.

"I lo- I like you a lot. And everything I do, I do to help you," she said, with a hint of sadness in her eyes.

"Oh, come on, I'm trying to get angry at you here. Why do you have to use the puppy dog eyes on me? Not fair." Ben cracked a smile. "Come here," He said, moving his chair from the other side of the table and placing it right next to her. Then he wrapped her in a hug. "You're my DweeBest friend! You know that."

She gently caressed his hair, and she could feel his breath on her neck - which definitely did NOT mean she got butterflies in her stomach.

* * *

S.E.C.T. had several "teleport elevators" at their bases scattered in strategic locations around the globe. A teleport elevator, instead of going up or down, could teleport everything inside it to some other elevator somewhere else. Of course, those elevators were built using alien technology.

A teleport elevator was large enough that Grandpa's RV could fit inside it, as Lucky Girl could personally confirm when she saw the Rust Bucket inside the teleport elevator at S.E.C.T.'s Bellwood base.

And not only was the Rust Bucket there, Ben - "wearing" his Watch Boy disguise - and Grandpa Max were waiting for her in the elevator.

"Nice to meet you, Lucky Girl. You remind me of someone I know." Max shook her hand.

"I hear that a lot." Lucky Girl tried to hide the nervousness under a smile. She was really putting that Charm of Luck to the test. If Grandpa Max weren't able to figure out who she was, she would admit the amulet is a lot more powerful than she had thought it to be.

"Hi," Ben said, squeezing her hand quickly and avoiding eye contact.

"Hi, Ben," She replied in the most gentle voice she could, trying to make him feel more comfortable.

Grandpa Max used the elevator panel, entering some secret access code, and the door closed.

A few seconds later the door opened again. Lucky Girl felt a heavy dizziness, and noticed that Ben seemed really uncomfortable too. Max, however, was looking normal. "You get used to it eventually," he said.

Two people were waiting for them: a dark-skinned man wearing glasses, and a woman with short brown hair.

"Mr. Tennyson, what an honor! I thought you had retired!" The man said, smiling as he saw Grandpa Max.

"Hello, Elliot. I came out of retirement. I found out that sitting around was not for me." Grandpa wasn't actually lying, he was really a very active person, but the main reason he came back to S.E.C.T. was the same reason that led Gwen to enlist: to watch Ben's back.

"These are Watch Boy and Lucky Girl. They're working with me," Max said, making the introductions.

"And this is my partner, Molly Gunther," Elliot said, introducing the woman, who greeted Grandpa and Ben.

But when Agent Gunther went to shake hands with Lucky Girl, her handshake was quick and she had a frown on her face. _"I guess she didn't like me very much"_ Lucky Girl thought.

"How can we help you?" Max asked.

"Actually, we just called you guys to watch our operation. We found out that Eric Edwards is hiding in the snowy mountains of White Peaks. We thought you guys would want to see the bastard getting arrested," Elliot said.

"It's great news. But we have to make sure he talks," Ben said. "He was responsible for the disappearance of several people in Bellwood, we need to find out exactly what he did to them."

"Oh, we have an ace up our sleeve for that." Elliot smiled. "A recent addition to S.E.C.T . . . Tomyx."

The young Vilgaxian, wearing a black S.E.C.T. uniform - extra-large of course - entered the room. "Hello everyone!" He said excitedly.

Lucky Girl didn't know how to feel about his presence. He really seemed to be a good guy, but she still didn't trust him - he had put an alien watch on her cousin's wrist and started that whole mess after all. And Lucky Girl didn't know if Tomyx had some hidden agenda, but she had a feeling he was still hiding something.

"We'll use the 'all Vilgaxians are evil' stereotype in our favor. We'll play Edwards, make him think that our agent here is a high-ranking Vilgaxian officer who came to help him escape. If we're lucky, he will buy it," Elliot spoke.

"Nothing like using a freak to catch a freak-worshiper," Molly said with a smirk.

Lucky Girl was a little uncomfortable with the use of the word "freak." She might not like Tomyx very much - but calling him a "freak" was totally uncalled for. It looked like Molly had something personal against the alien. Or maybe against all aliens.

"Give a ride to the squid-boy in your RV, Mr. Tennyson, so you can keep him hidden from people's sight until we get to White Peaks," Molly said to Grandpa. "Elliot, I'll wait for you in the car." And then she left the room walking toward the garage.

"I'm sorry about Molly," Elliot said, after she had left, "But don't take it personal. She became an agent after losing a brother in an alien incident. . . She doesn't like aliens very much."

Gwen remembered her grandmother Verdona saying that Sorcerers were superior to humans. Unfortunately, there was still a long way to go until humans and aliens could coexist in harmony.

Lucky Girl, Ben, Max and Tomyx got in the Rust Bucket, and followed Elliot and Molly in a black car ahead. Although they had been teleported to a closer location, the ride to the place where Edwards was hidden would still be a little long - and probably it would feel even longer because of the awkward silence inside the RV. Only Ben and Tomyx occasionally exchanged a few words.

Lucky Girl remembered how impossible it was to have silence in that RV during the many trips with Grandpa Max. Either, Gwen and Ben were fighting, playing or both. Those were good memories.

Ben finally broke the silence, and spoke directly to her. "Why do you want to be my partner so much? You have so many options. For example, Tomyx. He shoots laser from his eyes, he's very strong, he can turn his arms into tentacles, and, on top of that, he thinks you're ugly, so he will never cause problems between you and your boyfriend."

"Mr. Ben!" Tomyx's eyes widened. "I'd never say you're ugly, Miss Bezel. The thing is, for me no human is attractive, because the beauty standards of my species are very different from humans' beauty standards. The same way I would never be considered attractive by any human in their right mind."

"You're my friend, Ben," Lucky Girl said, answering his first question. "I don't want to distance myself from you." That was a very deep truth in Gwen Tennyson's life as well, one that she wouldn't normally admit.

"And your boyfriend doesn't care about you having a 'friendship' with me?" Ben asked, arching an eyebrow.

"My boyfriend trusts me." Lucky Girl had actually decided to pretend to have a boyfriend. Since she wasn't going to reveal that she was his cousin, it would be better to let Ben think she already had someone than to simply say she didn't want anything to do with him.

"You two . . . Have you dated before?" Tomyx asked.

"No!" The two of them answered at the same time.

"I . . . I used to like her. But it's in the past now." Ben shrugged.

He was trying to hide his feelings, but she could always read the truth in Ben's eyes. And even though Watch Boy had red eyes instead of green ones, Lucky Girl could still read them. And he was hurt.

At that moment, Gwen Tennyson hated Lucky Girl. She had hurt Ben.

The main purpose of Lucky Girl should be to _protect_ Ben, not to _break his heart_.

"We're here," Max said, interrupting her thoughts.

They were at the foot of a snow-covered mountain, and, at the top of this mountain, there was an isolated house. Elliot's car stopped, and Grandpa Max stopped the RV too.

Tomyx changed S.E.C.T.'s uniform for the standard uniform of Vilgax's armies and walked in the snow until he got to the house at the top of the mountain. There was a hidden camera with him, so the whole crew could see everything he was seeing.

Tomyx knocked on the door, and Edwards opened, startled.

"My lord!" Edwards said, bowing.

Tomyx shoved him away, almost knocking him on the floor, and closed the door.

"What a mess you made, Edwards!" Tomyx shouted, in a scary voice, quite unlike his usual gentle voice.

"Forgive me, my lord," Edwards said, cringing. "I didn't expect two children to be able to kill one of our deadliest creatures."

"Spare me any of your excuses, weak man. It doesn't matter anymore now," Tomyx said, angry. "You're a wanted man in this country. We'll send you to another place, and see if you can still be of any value. Now, I want a complete report, with ALL the details of the operations you were conducting here. Don't leave ANYTHING out, you definitely don't want to show yourself to be even more incompetent than you already have."

"Wow, Tomyx is a very good actor!" Ben exclaimed, watching everything through a screen inside the Rust Bucket.

 _"Yeah, maybe too good,"_ Lucky Girl thought. _"How much of the Tomyx we know is not an act too?"_

For over an hour, Edwards gave a complete and detailed report, under Tomyx's flawless conduction. Among the many new pieces of intel they discovered, like names of several other humans loyal to Vilgax, Edwards also gave the coordinates of an island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, where the missing people had been taken by the Vilgaxians. He really didn't know what happened to them there.

"Is that all?" Tomyx asked.

"Yes, my lord," Edwards confirmed.

A huge smile crossed Tomyx's lips. "OK then. I arrest you in the name of the law!" The Vilgaxian turned his right arm into tentacles to immobilize the man and, with his left hand, he showed his identification as an agent of S.E.C.T.

"Well, now all we have to do is go to the island Edwards mentioned and rescue the people," Ben said.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

* * *


	8. Nightmare In Paradise, Part I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Picture: A Root Shark (art by firesnake247) and Diamondhead, in scale.

****

**Nightmare in Paradise, part I**

* * *

**Ben**

* * *

There he was, Ben Tennyson - or rather, Watch Boy - in the same room as several important S.E.C.T's lieutenants, in the organization's main headquarters inside Mount Rushmore. Of course, the lieutenants looked at him and his partner Lucky Girl with some disdain, with a _'These kids shouldn't be here.'_ kind of look.

 _"I'll prove them wrong."_ Ben thought, _"This is my first big official mission as an agent of S.E.C.T. I know S.E.C.T.'s scientists are working for a way to remove the Omnitrix from my wrist, but if I do a good job here, the higher-ups may let me keep the watch anyway. This is my chance."_

But they casted even more suspicious looks at the alien teenager Tomyx. He was the first Vilgaxian to become an agent in the history of S.E.C.T. Until then, all the other Vilgaxians, whom those lieutenants had known, were loyal to Vilgax. Fortunately, agent Elliot attested to Tomyx's good job "interrogating" Eric Edwards and Tomyx had already gained some sympathy from at least a few of the lieutenants.

Immersed in his thoughts, Ben wouldn't have noticed the arrival of Director Steel if it weren't for Lucky Girl tapping his arm to 'wake him up.' All the lieutenants stood up on their feet as Steel entered the room. His tall and athletic build and the huge scar on his face made the Director look really badass, even though he was not presenting his usual steeled skin.

"At ease," he said.

Devin, which was his name. Although the Director's identity was secret to most people, Ben knew Steel's real name thanks to a slip from Grandpa Max - who had trained the Director in the past.

"Listen up, everyone!" Steel said. "We have intel about an island that is quite possibly being used as a Vilgaxian base. I'm going to send a small recon team there."

"Why don't we just blow up the whole place with an air strike, sir?" One of the lieutenants asked.

"We also have intel that there are innocent people on the island being used as guinea pigs. Our recon team will confirm this, and get as much information as they can about the Vilgaxians' defenses, so we can set up an efficient rescue mission employing ground forces. But an air strike is a possibility if there is no one there to rescue."

"Sir, how reliable is this intel? Is there a chance that this island is actually a trap?" another lieutenant asked.

Steel motioned for Elliot and Molly - who were also present at the meeting - to answer the question.

"We tricked Edwards, so we don't believe he tried to lie," Elliot said, adjusting his glasses on his face. "Besides, since yesterday everything he said is being verified and most things were already confirmed. BUT, the problem is, he didn't know much about the island."

"We have no idea what exactly we'll be facing. So we're treating the island as if it's a trap," Molly Gunther said. "That's why my recon team will carry three big guns - Watch Boy, Lucky Girl and Tomyx."

"The recon team goes first, and we will act on their evaluation. Anyway, I want every lieutenant in this room to prepare their men and follow me. We wait close to the island and strike when I give the order," Director Steel said, and, after giving further instructions, he ended the meeting.

* * *

On board of a small SECT jet, the recon team - led by Molly Gunther and composed of Elliot, Grandpa Max, Tomyx, Lucky Girl and Ben - flew to the island, being accompanied by several other jets, which would stand by and wait for their sign.

Ben was quite nervous, and Lucky Girl - in the seat next to him - noticed that.

"Hey, Ben," she said, taking his hand in hers and squeezing it gently, "What's the problem?"

"I have to impress them," Ben whispered.

"No. You just have to do your job. And come back alive. Specially, come back alive," she said, holding his hand tighter. Ben could _swear_ that there was a part of Lucky Girl that liked him as more than just a friend. But he didn't want to get his hopes up and get disappointed - which always happened whenever he liked a girl.

"It's easy for you to say that, Lucky Girl. Your powers are yours. They can't take them away from you. But this watch ..." Ben said in a low voice, looking at the alien device attached to his wrist. "The minute they find a way to take it off of me, they'll give it to some veteran badass agent."

"That's not a bad thing," Lucky Girl said. "The watch will be in good hands and you'll be safe."

Ben snorted. "I thought you had made a point of being _my_ partner before. If they take the Omnitrix off me, you're gonna have to find another partner."

"I really like our partnership, but I'd prefer to know you're safe, playing your Game Station at home, with no need for me to protect you anymore," Lucky Girl said.

"I don't need you to protect me," Ben answered on the spot.

"It didn't look like it when we were facing that squid-monster before," Lucky Girl replied.

"No one wants to have an incompetent partner. If you want to be my partner, it's because you know I'm a freaking awesome badass."

"I know you have a freaking big ego."

"Quiet, both of you," Molly Gunther interrupted their conversation, "Focus on the mission. AFTER we get back, you two can get a room and resolve this sexual tension."

Ben and Lucky Girl blushed with embarrassment. They didn't even notice that even though they had started talking in a low voice, it slowly grew louder and louder. Nor did they notice another detail: they were still holding hands. They quickly let go of each other's hand.

After a few minutes of silence, Ben had a sudden realization.

"I never told you I had a Game Station," Ben whispered to Lucky Girl.

"What?" Lucky Girl asked confused.

"You said you'd prefer if I was at home playing my Game Station. I didn't tell you I had one."

"Oh, you just seem to be the kind of guy who owns a Game Station. And, don't forget, I'm Lucky Girl, I always have lucky guesses." She chuckled, then she bit her lip. She paused in thought. "Fudge," she mumbled under her breath.

"You know me," Ben stated. "You live in Bellwood. You really wanted to be my partner. You care a lot for my safety. You know I have a Game Station. We know each other. We're friends."

"No, no, that's not it!" Lucky Girl tried to deny it. "It's just ... er … I… "

"Are you going to tell me who you really are, 'Lucky Girl'? Under whatever spell you're using to disguise your face?" Ben asked, arching his eyebrow.

"Ok . . . I will." Lucky Girl sighed. "But Agent Gunther is right, we-"

"Have to get a room and resolve our sexual tension?" Ben asked in a joking tone - but secretly voicing his real thoughts. "You might want to break up with your boyfriend first."

"No, not that," she said, with a frown on her face. "We have to focus on the mission for now. But this _thing_ between us can't keep going on. After we get back, I'll tell you everything. I promise. Just don't think about it for now."

Ben noticed Lucky Girl was crestfallen, with a sad expression on her face. He imagined she didn't want him to know who she was. But why, if they knew each other and were friends? Unless ... she _knew_ him, but wasn't his _friend_. She could have done something that hurt him in the past, and thought he was still holding a grudge, so she didn't want to tell him who she was. It was a reasonable guess.

"Don't worry. Whatever bad thing that happened between us in the past, it won't change my feelings for you now." He gave himself a mental facepalm immediately after he realized what he had said. Technically, he was 'over' Lucky Girl, she was with someone else and he shouldn't have feelings for her anymore. "I mean . . . the friendship feelings I have for you." He tried to fix his mistake.

"We're here," Elliot said. "We are at a safe distance from the island. Nobody there can see us here. From now on, we're going on a boat, to move discreetly so they don't spot us coming."

"I can get ahead," Tomyx volunteered, "My species is very well adapted to water. It is no coincidence that we share similarities with Earth's octopuses, our evolutionary process is probably-"

"No," Molly interrupted, "You won't get out of my sight. I trust an alien as far as I can throw him."

"I'm very heavy and big. You can't throw me very far," Tomyx questioned, confused.

"That's the point," Molly said with a smirk.

Although a little disappointed, Tomyx understood what she meant. Ben realized that he and Tomyx had something in common. Both wanted to prove their worth. Ben believed in the alien's sincerity, even though he knew Tomyx was hiding something very important - the fact that he was Vilgax's son. Ben knew he probably would do the same if he were in his shoes.

The six - Ben, Lucky Girl, Tomyx, Max, Molly and Elliot - got into a boat. After the boat was lowered in to the water, the pilot flew back with the jet to join several other S.E.C.T jets, all waiting for the moment to strike.

Molly's communicator beeped. It was Director Steel, "Agent Gunther, remember, the mission is only to survey the area. Don't confront the enemy. And in case of any problem, let us know and we will extract you immediately."

"Affirmative, sir," Molly replied.

A few minutes later, covered by the darkness of the night, the boat landed on the beach. It was quiet ... too quiet.

"Can any of your aliens spot the presence of enemies here in the area, Watch Boy?" Max asked.

"Yes, I think I have the right alien for this situation." One of the aliens available on the Omnitrix was a very big orange dog with no eyes, but with hearing and smelling better than anything. Besides being agile as a monkey, his senses could certainly detect the presence of enemies. Ben had named him Wildmutt.

It didn't take long before the team left the beach and entered into a dense forest. The trees were extremely thick and tall. But the strangest thing were the cobwebs in the treetops. Huge webs, ordinary spiders were definitely not responsible for that . . .

Wildmutt was leading the team, trying to avoid any possible danger with great care. It was strange that there was no sign of Vilgaxian soldiers there . . . Where were the bad guys responsible for the security of the island?

Then, suddenly, Wildmutt heard a strange sound coming from under the earth. . . It was something huge, and it was going straight in the direction of Grandpa Max.

Wildmutt desperately tried to scream to warn Grandpa Max of the danger, but the alien orange dog couldn't speak, he just barked. The hero then threw himself in Max Tennyson's direction, and took him out of the way just a second before a horrible monster sprouted from the ground trying to swallow his Grandpa.

The monster resembled a worm about the size of a giant anaconda, had a shark-like face protected by a rocky exoskeleton and a mouth full of huge teeth. It was a very terrifying creature.

Molly and Elliot shot at the monster using their guns, while Tomyx fired lasers from his eyes at it, and Lucky Girl blasted it with her mana. The creature quickly buried itself in the ground again, trying to avoid the attacks.

Using his enhanced senses, Wildmutt realized the monster was "swimming" through the ground around the six, like a shark circling its prey.

"Ben, point us where the monster is, and bark when it is going for an attack!" Max shouted.

Wildmutt obeyed, and his arm - paw - followed the trajectory of the giant shark-worm. When he realized it was about to rise from the ground again, Wildmutt barked pointing out the direction where the monster was coming from, and everyone was able to avoid the incoming attack. The shark-worm once again buried itself into the ground, but not before taking a few hits - a burst of bullets, laser beams and mana blasts.

If they could keep doing this 'procedure', they would kill the monster sooner or later... But the Omnitrix symbol on Wildmutt's left shoulder began to beep, glowing red and a couple of seconds later he returned to normal.

" _Stupid watch!"_ Ben thought.

"Damn it! Without Watch Boy's alien, we are blind!" Molly snarled, "Lucky Girl, shield us!"

Lucky Girl obeyed and everyone stood around her, protected by a blue magic bubble. Seconds later, the giant monster struck again, his huge teeth creating cracks in the mana shield . . .

"How long can you keep this shield, Lucky Girl?" Molly asked.

"Not much if this monster keeps attacking like this," Lucky Girl replied.

"Tomyx, is this another one of Vilgax's pets, like that Squid-Monster Lucky Girl and I faced before?" Ben asked, "Do you know the weak spots of this thing, a way for us to kill it quickly?"

"No! In all my life, I've never seen a creature like that before," Tomyx said.

"If we are going to die, at least let's make it worth something," Elliot said, grabbing the communicator, "Director, there are giant shark-like worms living underneath the ground in the island. It will be a very lethal threat if our soldiers attack on foot."

"Acknowledged. Can you get out of there?" Steel asked.

"Yes, one of Watch Boy's aliens will take us out of here. We're safe," Elliot replied, turning off the communicator.

"What?" Ben asked. "My watch is on red mode, and this giant shark-worm is-"

"They wouldn't arrive in time to save us, and the last thing we need is dozens of agents rushing into this forest and being devoured by other monsters like this one," Elliot answered, interrupting Ben.

"He is right," Molly agreed with her partner.

The 'shark-worm' attacked again, deepening the cracks in Lucky Girl's mana bubble. Now the monster realized the team stopped fighting back and began a continuous strike against the shield. Ben's heart began to pound out of his chest. He immediately thought of Gwen, who would have to live without him and Grandpa Max if they were to die on this island.

"We can't just wait for it to kill us," Molly said. "I'll draw its attention. The rest of you climb up the trees, go as high as you can, and wait until Watch Boy can turn alien again."

Speechless, Ben realized Molly would sacrifice herself for the rest of them.

"Molly, we're partners. I'm not leaving you behind," Elliot tried to protest, while the shark-worm charged against the bubble one more time.

"I'm the leader here!" Molly shouted. "You will do as I say, Elliot!"

"No, you both go, I'll stay behind," Grandpa Max interrupted their discussion, "I'm too old to climb up a tree."

Ben knew it wasn't true. His grandfather might be old, but he was still strong and climbing up a tree wouldn't be that hard for him.

"No way," Ben insisted.

Even Lucky Girl was concerned for Grandpa Max. She glanced at him with a desperate look on her face. And maybe because she lost focus for a second, or maybe because her shield was already too fragile and full of cracks, but the blue magical bubble broke down after the next strike from the giant monster.

"RUN!" Molly yelled, as she began shooting at the shark-worm. But nobody would be left behind that day. Grandpa Max and Elliot started shooting at the creature too, ignoring Molly Gunther's orders.

A second before the monster could kill any of them, Tomyx shape-shifted his arms into tentacles and wrapped the shark-worm with them. He was doing his best to keep the gigantic creature - which probably weighed more than half a ton - immobilized.

"Run . . . all of you . . . I can't hold it . . . much longer . . ."

"No!" Ben shouted.

"Boy, you can't!" Max spoke.

"This was not the plan!" Molly yelled.

"GO! NOW!" Tomyx screamed.

Ben was feeling completely useless . . . but finally the watch glowed green again!

"NOW WE'RE TALKING!" Without wasting any time, Ben turned into Diamondhead - a silicon-based humanoid alien form whose body was composed of durable pale green crystals. He sported two crystal shards on his back and had a sharp point on his head. He wore a black uniform with a yellow "V" stripe on the middle of his torso. "I will take it from here, Tomyx!"

Diamondhead created a large cluster of crystals around the monster, immobilizing it. The monster started floundering to break the crystals, but the shark-worm was already very weakened by the battle, and wasn't able to free itself from the trap.

Diamondhead transformed his arms into diamond blades and furiously stabbed the creature multiple times, finally finishing it for good.

"YEAH!" He shouted. "Who's the baddest kid to ever save the day? That's right, I am!"

"You… all of you… You disobeyed my direct orders!" Molly Gunther said angrily "But . . . we worked together and we're all alive. So, you did a good job. Especially you two," she said, looking at Lucky Girl and Tomyx, "I might have misjudged you before because you're alien." and then she added, "But you - all of you - NEVER disobey my orders again!"

"Well, let's get our feet off the ground before this creature's siblings try to eat us," Max said, "Watch Boy, can you do something about this?"

Diamondhead began creating a crystal bridge for the team to walk safely above the ground, but a few minutes later the watched timed-out again.

"Don't worry guys, we will be able to keep moving in no time," Ben said, while everybody waited. "At least we're safe up here in this bridge and we don't have to worry about-"

Suddenly they heard the noise of swaying leaves coming from the trees . . . Seconds later, a small army of gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans approached the six agents, all with fur of different bluish tones, six arms and eight spider-like eyes. They had web coming out of their wrists, and they used their extra arms to hang on to their webs and remain above the ground - probably to avoid being attacked by the monsters who lived underneath.

"Invaders... Surrender now or we kill you." A spider-gorilla with light blue fur spoke in rusty English.

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	9. Nightmare In Paradise, Part II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Picture: Dr. Animo and Bazard (OC with visual inspired by "Vil" from the Ben 10 reboot)

****

**Nightmare in Paradise, part II**

* * *

**Ben**

* * *

"Whoa, whoa, we don't want any trouble," Molly said. She discreetly turned on her communicator device to let Director Steel know what was happening. But the spider-gorilla noticed that, grabbed the device and smashed it.

"Weapons," The gorilla said in a firm voice. The team had no choice other than to hand over their weapons. Ben's watch was on red, they were outnumbered and tired after the fight against the giant shark-worm. Besides, they couldn't escape running through the forest - at least not without risking an attack from another monster.

"Look, we don't want a fight with your people," Molly said. "We're only here looking for… Humans like me… Who are being held prisoner by Vilgaxians… Guys who look like him." She pointed to Tomyx. "We don't want to-"

"Go with us," a spider-orangutan interrupted her.

Some of the spider-gorillas gestured so they could get on their backs. "If you try hurt us, we kill you," one of them said.

The team complied, and, on the back of the spider-apes, Ben, Lucky Girl, Max, Tomyx, Molly and Elliot swung from webs through the jungle.

" _This would actually be a fun ride,_ " Ben thought, " _If I knew for sure these spider-apes aren't going to kill us later_." Exploring a lost island, and finding spider-like apes that could talk… It was one of those things that is both extremely exciting and dangerous at the same time.

He looked at Lucky Girl. She was riding a smaller ape and was a few feet ahead of him. Her dark hair blew behind her. She looked back at him and their eyes met. She looked worried and nervous. Ben wanted to wrap her in a hug and whisper, 'it'll be okay,' until she calmed down; he wanted _her_ but he knew he couldn't have her because she had chosen someone else.

Sometime later, they arrived in what was probably the spider-apes' "city" in the heart of the forest. If there were no spider -apes present there, anyone would say that it was a playground of gigantic proportion for children, with very pretty and rustic tree houses, and rope bridges with wooden planks linking one place to another. The only thing that was sticking out on the environment was a large concrete and metal edifice that could be seen in the center of the city.

As they crossed the city, still riding on the apes, they received a lot of looks from many spider-chimpanzees, orangutans and gorillas from their houses. The younger ones - the kid apes - looked curious with their presence, but the older ones seemed to be frightened of them.

The apes took the agents to a tree house that was bigger than the rest. Sitting on a large wooden chair that resembled a throne and surrounded by a small army of spider-apes in a defensive stance, there was a tall and imposing dark-blue furred spider-gorilla - Ben deduced he was the king of the spider-apes. What really got Ben worried though was the man - no, alien - at the right side of the king.

"Bazard!" Tomyx shouted in surprise. Bazard was an old Vilgaxian, and although skinny and short, he seemed to be a treacherous and cunning individual. He was accompanied by two 'bodyguards' - Vilgaxian soldiers carrying heavy guns.

"Do you see, King Harpor," Bazard said dramatically, while the tentacles on his chin were shaking in excitement, "The threat I have been warning you about is at hand! The humans are coming for you and your people. And they seek to destroy you..."

"That is a lie!" Grandpa Max shouted.

"You can't fool us, human!" Bazard shouted. "Your ships are just waiting nearby. Our spy-drone saw it, just like it saw your team in the jungle."

A small metal object with the shape of a classic UFO flew into King Harpor's 'throne room', and projected images of S.E.C.T's air fleet on the wall of the treehouse.

"No, we are not here to attack apes. We just want to rescue the innocent humans being kept on this island," Molly said. "Which this guy and his fellow Vilgaxians kidnapped." she pointed to Bazard.

"Fortunately, King Harpor knows better than to listen to you, humans." Bazard smirked. "When my fellow Vilgaxians and I arrived here, humans were doing terrible experiments with the apes. But us, Vilgaxians, saved them and freed them. Every ape here knows the Vilgaxians are their friends, and the humans are their enemies."

King Harpor nodded in agreement. "Humans hurt apes. Apes owe freedom to squid-people."

"So listen to me, then," Tomyx said, "I'm a squid-person too and I can tell, Bazard is only using you. He might have freed you, but I have no doubt he will make your people slaves again to serve his master, a megalomaniac tyrant named Vilgax."

"I really wish I could say to you, King Harpor, that we Vilgaxians are all kind and trustworthy, but that's not true. Some of us - like this one called Tomyx - have been led astray. But I'm sure that once we return him to his father - which he disrespectfully called a 'megalomaniac tyrant' - he will be disciplined." Bazard rubbed his hands together.

Molly, Elliot, Lucky Girl and Grandpa Max all looked at Tomyx with shock on their faces. Ben was the only one who already knew that fact.

"Vilgax is your father?" Elliot asked.

The young Vilgaxian remained silent, ashamed of himself.

"Do you see that, King Harpor? Tomyx lies even to his friends. It's obvious that his word can't be trusted," Bazard said.

"They are yours," King Harpor said, indicating that Bazard could deal with the S.E.C.T. team the way he wanted. Ben swallowed nervously. Whatever this Vilgaxian had planned for them, it probably wasn't good.

Bazard quickly grabbed Lucky Girl's arm. Ben began to dial his watch in anger. He wasn't going to let that filthy alien touch his partner, and he didn't care if he had to fight his way through hundreds of spider-apes, Vilgaxians and shark-worms, but Molly stopped him.

"No, Ben," she whispered, "We would die fighting them now. Let them take us to where they're keeping the hostages, and then when they're distracted we find a way to escape."

Bazard put something that resembled a metal dog-collar on Lucky Girl's neck.

"This one is an Anodite, King Harpor. These iron restraints will stop her from using her magical powers from now on."

Then Bazard approached Ben. "And this one is in possession of a dangerous device known as the Omnitrix." He put a bracelet on Ben's left arm and the watch went red immediately. "But it won't be a problem anymore."

Ben growled. He was so mad at Bazard, but agent Molly Gunther was right. Fighting at that moment would only get them killed. The safest thing to do would be trying to escape later, or wait for Director Steel and his troops to come rescue them.

"And this one…" Bazard walked towards Tomyx, "Is a very powerful Vilgaxian indeed, but unlike his father Lord Vilgax, Tomyx doesn't have cybernetic implants to leave him completely independent of water. If he stays a long time without being hydrated, his great strength and powers will fade. He just needs to be thrown in a hot cell."

Then Bazard walked in circles around Max, Molly and Elliot. "And these three are just weak humans, harmless without their weapons." Then he stopped. "King Harpor, can your apes help me escort them to the tower?"

"Yes." King Harpor replied, and gestured for his army to follow Bazard.

* * *

Inside the concrete building - the only structure on the island that wasn't built on top of trees with wood - Ben realized there were actually very few Vilgaxians there, twenty at most. The spider-apes on that island were hundreds, and if the team could somehow convince them that the Vilgaxians were just using them, it wouldn't be hard to defeat the aliens.

Elliot and Molly were thrown in a normal cell, Tomyx was thrown in a cell with a device that looked like a heater, but much bigger, and Lucky Girl was put in a different cell that resembled a rustic bedroom. Max and Ben, however, weren't put in a cell. They were left 'free', but with the Vilgaxian soldiers pointing their guns straight at them.

Bazard then addressed the spider-apes, "Thank you very much. We will take it from here."

The apes left the building, and then Bazard turned to talk to Max and Ben with a smirk, "There's someone here who wants to see you two."

Being escorted now only by the Vilgaxian soldiers, Ben and Max walked to the end of a corridor into an elevator. The elevator went down instead of up, and soon they saw themselves in an underground laboratory. And surprisingly, there were human scientists walking around the lab.

"So, I'm guessing you good-hearted Vilgaxians didn't exactly free the spider-apes from the humans that were experimenting on them…" Max said with disgust in his voice.

"More like they bought them from me." A man walked towards Max. His long sideburns, badly shaved beard and grim eyes made him look insane, although he was dressed like a scientist. Ben couldn't tell whether he was an old man or not, his receding hairline and long white hair were signs of an aged man, but he looked as strong as any young man. His pale - almost green ish - skin and the yellow sclerae in his eyes made Ben wonder if that man was doing experiments on himself as well… "Hello, Tennyson."

"Animo!" Max growled, his face mask of recognition and anger.

" _Doctor_ Animo for you." He replied, smirking. "Long time no see."

"You know him, gran- Agent Tennyson?" Ben asked, reminding himself that he was Watch Boy, Max's coworker, not Benjamin Tennyson, Max's grandson.

"Yes, he's the definition of mad scientist. He did all sort of illegal experiments on humans and animals alike, with total disregard for life. S.E.C.T. has been after him for years." Then Max addressed Animo again, "I always knew you were insane, Animo, but not dumb. Now you are Vilgax's lackey?"

"I'm nobody's lackey, Tennyson. The Vilgaxians are my sponsors, helping me to do my 'art' with their advanced technology and providing me plenty of test subjects." Animo pointed to other cells in back of the lab, the innocent people that Eric Edwards - and other human followers of Vilgax - had been kidnapping were being held there. "My new friends are helping me achieve huge breakthroughs."

"They are trying to take over the world! This is your world too!" Max shouted.

"A world that labeled me a criminal and never recognized my genius! If the Vilgaxians do take over the world, at least they will get rid of S.E.C.T. and I won't have to worry about being hunted by the likes of you ever again!" Dr. Animo growled.

"S.E.C.T. is coming here. This will end badly for all of you," Max said, looking at Animo, Bazard and the Vilgaxian soldiers.

"I hope your friends rush to your rescue, agent," Bazard said with a dark grin. "Why do you think we told our human collaborators about this island? We have been expecting a visit from S.E.C.T for some time now. Dr. Animo's Root Sharks and Arachnichimps will give them our regards."

"You're going to use Animo's creations to fight your war for you," Max realized their plan.

"Yes, indeed. The Vilgaxian army can rest while S.E.C.T take huge losses." Bazard said. "We will leave S.E.C.T.'s troops for our pets to deal with. Of course, we're ready to leave here as soon as they arrive."

Ben realized that's why there were so few Vilgaxians there… The island WAS a trap.

"I asked them to bring you to me for a reason, Tennyson…" Animo then punched Max in the face. "Ah, I feel so much better now. You can take him back to his cell, for him to hear the screams of his friends being butchered by my creations. That's the best punishment I can think of."

"You son of a…" Then Max stopped, looking at Ben. He always had taught Ben not to swear and he wasn't going to swear in front of him, even in this sort of situation.

Two Vilgaxian soldiers took Max back to the elevator. But two others kept holding Ben there.

"And now you, boy, the Vilgaxians were kind enough to provide me their research on the Omnitrix, and I have been developing a machine to harness its power for some time. Now, I will finally be able to use it." Animo suddenly laughed maniacally. He really _was_ a mad scientist.

Ben was taken to a 'room' that looked like a big and dark lair, and he was attached to some weird machine. Ben heard a strange but familiar noise, and realized there was a shark-worm - the thing Animo called a root shark - crawling in the ground, not very distant from them.

"There is one of those creatures here!" Ben shouted, "It's going to kill us!"

"Don't worry, boy, I have telepathic control over it," Animo said, grinning. "Well, actually, do worry. But not about my pet."

Animo turned on the machine, and Ben felt a huge pain throughout his entire body. It was like a knife had pierced through his body. Swarms and waves of electricity vibrated through him and his snow-like hair stood up above his head. His vision went black for a while before he opened his eyes again. The pain was increasing horribly. An ear-splitting scream escaped his throat and Animo laughed in the pleasure of seeing the young boy suffer.

There was some kind of laser cannon connected to the machine Ben was attached to. It turned on, lighting up the room, and it fired an energy beam that directly hit the root shark nearby. Wrapped around a bright green light, the shark-worm started to grow in size . . . until it was ten times bigger than before.

Dr. Animo laughed maniacally again, "Meet the ULTIMATE Root Shark!"

Ben was almost unconscious with all the pain, but looked at Animo's new creation in pure horror. If Director Steel and his troops were to try to invade the island, that hideous beast would certainly kill dozens of good agents. Maybe even Steel.

"Can you make more of it?" Bazard asked, rubbing his hands together in glee. His spy-drone flew around the lair, capturing images of the gigantic creature.

"Unfortunately, not today. Not that I care about him, but the boy can't take this anymore. And since you told me the watch and the wielder are fused and trying to remove the watch using brute force might damage it, we will have to wait until he's recovered to do it again. But I'm sure I will find a way to safely take the watch off the kid eventually and we won't have this problem anymore."

Ben had no doubt that the 'safe' way Dr. Animo was speaking of was meant to be safe to guarantee the watch's integrity, not safe for Ben's health.

Two Vilgaxians soldiers carried Ben - literally carried, since Ben could barely walk - back to the elevator and then to a cell. At least, the cell was actually more like a bedroom, with beds, water, and a bathroom - although Ben was sure the comfort was not out of concern for him, but to guarantee a better recovery so they could use him for more sinister experiments later. Lucky Girl was there too, which brought a weak smile to Ben's face - but also an intense worry. That cell-bedroom could be the place they were keeping their 'special test subjects'... that could mean they would eventually try to harness Lucky Girl's magic in the same painful way they were harnessing Ben's watch's power...

"You will stay here for now, but if S.E.C.T. arrives, we will leave," Bazard said, as his soldiers brought Ben into the cell-bedroom.

"BEN!" Lucky Girl screamed, horrified at his weakened state, "What did you do to him, you monster?!" She shouted in anger and tried to attack Bazard, but without her powers, she was easily contained by the Vilgaxian soldiers.

"Nothing that we aren't planning on doing to you too in the future, Anodite." Bazard grinned, and locked the metal door, leaving the two teenagers alone.

"Don't worry, babe," Ben croaked weakly, "I'm fine."

"Fine?!" Lucky Girl screamed, "You look like a ghost, Ben!"

"I'm fine," Ben repeated. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He was still lying down on the floor of the cell and he could smell Lucky Girl's strawberry shampoo, her face very close to his.

"Oh, Ben," he heard her whisper in his ear, "I'm sorry," he felt something wet land on his cheek and he opened his eyes to see her crying. "I'm so sorry."

"For what?" Ben asked incredulously. She hadn't done anything wrong.

"For everything," she replied. He started to stand up, but as soon as he put weight on his legs, he collapsed. Lucky Girl grabbed him and helped him up. She took him to one of the beds and made him lay there. She sat on the floor near the bed so that her face was on the same level as his.

"You never did anything to me," Ben whispered, looking into her beautiful violet eyes. She shook her head sadly.

"You should get some rest," she whispered and he nodded. She walked to the other side of the room and laid on her bed too.

Ben slowly drifted to sleep. He woke up sometime later with the sound of her sobbing.

"I was supposed to keep him safe." He heard her whispering. The worried look on her face reminded him of his cousin Gwen, who always looked at him the same way whenever he got hurt. Right before scolding him, of course.

Ben was glad Gwen wasn't there. This time, he could actually die and he wouldn't bear to see her face masked in worry as well. But he was also sad, because he would probably never see her face again at all.

"Oh, did I wake you? Sorry…" Lucky Girl realized his eyes were open now.

"Come on, we have to find a way out of this place," Ben announced firmly. "We need to warn Director Steel of the threat, and I have a family to go back to."

Lucky Girl smiled, happy with his determination. And then she did something that surprised Ben. She stood up from her bed, approached him, and kissed him on the cheek. Ben's heart raced and he felt dizzy. Lucky Girl had kissed him on the cheek!

"I'm glad you're not willing to give up, Ben…" and then the smile vanished from her face, "But I've been looking for a way out of this cell while you were sleeping and I couldn't find any."

"Well, Lucky Girl, do you still have your luck or is it being suppressed by this collar along with the rest of your powers?" Ben asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Well, to be honest, my luck is not a natural power. It comes from the Charm of Luck and Probability, which is well hidden in my grandma's house. I was the last person to touch the amulet, so I think I was supposed to be permanently lucky at least until somebody else gets their hands on it. But I'm not feeling lucky right now. If I were, my partner wouldn't get hurt," Lucky Girl answered with a weak smile.

Suddenly, the metal door opened, and a spider-chimpanzee entered the bedroom. Ben vaguely remembered seeing this same chimpanzee in the meeting they had with King Harpor before, although most of them looked too similar for the boy to really distinguish between them.

His presence there was weird. The agents were supposed to be under the watch of the Vilgaxians, not the spider-apes'. The spider-chimpanzee looked frightened, and there was no sign of any squid-faced soldiers with him.

"C-can you do magic?" He asked, stuttering, looking at Lucky Girl.

"Yes, if this collar is removed, which I can't do without a key," She said, a little confused. "Why do you want to know? Who are you?"

"My name Moriz. My wife very sick. You cure her. In return, me help you escape." The chimpanzee raised one of his six hands, with a key hanging on his finger. Ben guessed Moriz was probably desperate to do something crazy like this, since the spider-apes thought of humans as their enemies.

Ben and Lucky Girl stepped out of the cell, and saw two Vilgaxian soldiers lying unconscious on the floor.

"How did you-"

Moriz pointed to two empty food plates on the floor. "I bring them food. Food to sleep this time."

Then the eight-eyed chimpanzee turned to Ben and Lucky Girl, "You help me or not?"

Ben looked at Lucky Girl and said with a smirk, "What were you just saying about not feeling lucky?"

**To be continued...**


	10. Nightmare In Paradise, part III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Picture: Ultimate Root Shark and normal root shark, in scale

**Nightmare In Paradise, part III**

* * *

**Gwen**

* * *

"We are going to help your wife, Moriz," Lucky Girl said, very determined. She wasn't really sure she could, but her mind was spinning with ideas. If the healing spells and potions she knew didn't work, they could try regular medicine - taking Moriz's wife to S.E.C.T. - or Gwen could take her to Grandma Verdona, who probably knew even more powerful spells.

The spider-chimpanzee believed in her sincerity, and used the keys to free Lucky Girl from her collar and Watch Boy from his bracelet, allowing them to freely use their powers again.

"But first, we have to rescue the rest of our friends. Four Arms will open their cell doors with ease." Ben dialed the Omnitrix, "Going hero!"

But when he slammed the watch, instead of turning into a twelve-foot tall red-skinned alien, he turned into a five-inch tall grey-skinned alien… Grey Matter.

"Oh, no, I mistransformed again!" Grey Matter complained.

Lucky Girl chuckled. "Don't worry, Ben. We can still get the keys from the squids." she pointed at the unconscious Vilgaxians on the floor.

"You gave me an idea!" Grey Matter then searched the bodies of the Vilgaxian soldiers, and found something similar to a walkie-talkie.

"I can easily alter this device so we can broadcast a message to Director Steel," he said, tampering with it. Meanwhile, Lucky Girl freed Max, Molly and Elliot from their cell.

Grey Matter's great intellect could more than make up for what he lacked in size and physical strength. In no time, he had already modified the Vilgaxians' communicator to fit his purpose. "Done. Director Steel, can you hear me? It's us, the recon team."

"I can hear you," Steel said, a few seconds later, from the other end of the line. "I'm glad you're ok. Did you find the hostages there? We are working on a plan to rescue you soon and-"

"We did find the hostages, Director, but you can't send anyone here…" Grey Matter then proceeded to tell him the new developments about the island, the Vilgaxians, Dr. Animo and his latest creation, the Ultimate Root Shark, a monster that dwarfed the other root sharks - Lucky Girl, Molly, Elliot and Max were left in shock by this new intel too. Ben concluded saying that the island was indeed a trap to S.E.C.T.

"I understand, but I can't just stand by and do nothing," Steel replied.

"Sir, I agree with Watch Boy," Molly said, "I'm sure the squids have anti-aircraft artillery that could destroy any ships that gets too close to the island. And going in by the ground would be impossible because of the root sharks and the spider-apes. You have to trust us to handle things here."

"Do you at least have a plan to rescue the hostages and get out of there?" Steel asked.

Molly looked at Grey Matter.

"We have to show the spider-apes that the Vilgaxians are playing them. If we get their help, I think we can defeat the bad guys," Grey Matter answered.

"Ok… I want your word that if things get ugly, you will request help anyway," Steel said.

"You have it, sir," Molly Gunther said, and then Grey Matter turned off the walkie-talkie.

The spider-chimpanzee Moriz still had a skeptical look on his face. He wasn't believing that the Vilgaxians were the true enemy.

Before any of them could say something about it, Lucky Girl saw Bazard's spy-drone around the corner. There weren't many Vilgaxians there, so probably the drone was patrolling the area as a security protocol and would warn Bazard of any problem. It would spot them soon.

"The drone is coming! Come here, all of you!" Moriz, Grey Matter, Molly, Elliot and Max all approached her, as she crouched near the two unconscious Vilgaxian soldiers.

" _Invisibilitas!_ " Lucky Girl chanted, making all of them invisible.

She just hoped the drone wouldn't notice the complete absence of guards there.

After the drone passed, Grey Matter jumped on its back and crawled inside it through a breach. A few seconds later, he left smiling as the drone started to follow him.

"It's ok, you can show yourselves, my friends." Grey Matter made a thumbs up gesture. "I've reprogrammed this drone. And the best part, it also recorded Animo creating the monster with Bazard's support. This will be the proof we need to convince the spider-apes."

The drone showed images of Bazard, Animo and the Ultimate Root Shark, and Moriz finally seemed to believe it now.

"Great. We can get out of here now," Molly Gunther said.

"Wait, not so fast. We have to free Tomyx first," Grey Matter replied. "He's in a special cell not very far from here."

"You are not seriously suggesting that we risk our necks and compromise the entire mission to save Vilgax's wayward son who is hiding things from us," Molly said with a glare.

"Take it easy on him, Agent Gunther. Imagine if you were Adolf Hitler's daughter, I guess you wouldn't want anyone to know it," Grey Matter said, defending his friend. "We all fought together before, remember? Teamwork?" After that, the Omnitrix timed out, turning Grey Matter back into Watch Boy.

Even though Lucky Girl herself didn't fully trust Tomyx, Ben had a good point.

"Fine." Molly sighed. "You're right, let's save the squid-boy."

Soon after, they found Tomyx cell, protected by two Vilgaxian guards.

"Ok, we need a distraction," Molly said as the team hid behind a wall. "Then Elliot and I take the one on the left, and Max, Watch Boy and Lucky Girl take the one on the right."

"I can provide one. _Camouphlat Vaporis!"_ Lucky Girl whispered the spell with her hands pointed in the Vilgaxians' direction. A thick blue steam began to form, clouding the guards' vision. Before they could react, the agents knocked them out cold. Gwen's years of karate lessons were pretty useful.

With the guards' keys, they opened the cell and found a very weakened Tomyx. The cell had some kind of big heater that kept the squid-alien dehydrated. Max and Watch Boy put Tomyx's arms around their shoulders, giving him support so he could stand up, and carried him out of the cell.

Meanwhile, Elliot was breaking a water pipe. "Done!" The brown-skinned man said, "Bring Tomyx here so we can get him hydrated again."

After a few seconds of the 'bath', Tomyx smiled and stood up on his own. "Thank you, my friends!"

"Don't thank anybody yet, squid-boy," Molly said, "You still got some serious explaining to do after this is over."

* * *

The agents split up. Molly ordered Lucky Girl and Watch Boy to go with Moriz to help heal his wife honoring the deal they had made with him before, while the rest of the agents would try to talk to King Harpor and show him the footage from the reprogrammed spy-drone to convince him that the Vilgaxians were the real threat. Both teams had the walkie-talkies with them, and Molly said that if Harpor didn't listen to them, she would message Lucky Girl and Watch Boy to get out of there.

When they arrived at Moriz' tree-house, protected from the eyes of the spider-apes with Lucky Girl's invisibility spell, they finally met Moriz's wife, a female spider-chimpanzee named Netila. Luckily, Moriz was an overprotective husband, and Netila wasn't at death's door as Lucky Girl was expecting her to be. The young sorceress prepared a healing potion, with some help from Ben's XLR8 to get the ingredients, and then they waited to see Netila's recovery.

But suddenly, a sour faced grump spider-gorilla broke into the house, surprising them before Lucky Girl had time to cast the invisibility spell again.

The big pale blue furred spider-gorilla snorted, and started talking to Lucky Girl and Watch Boy. "Your friends convince King Harpor about squid-people evil… Come with Zaru."

Zaru definitely seemed unpleased with his current task.

"Is there a problem, Zaru?" Ben asked.

"Me know you humans are evil too… No better than squid-people… But King Harpor too innocent… Zaru knows best for apes is humans and squid-people dead," Zaru said, foaming with rage.

"Well, I'm glad you're not the king then, Zaru," Ben smirked. That dweeb, never losing an opportunity to make fun of someone, not caring how dangerous that could be. Lucky Girl sighed inwardly.

Before they left, Lucky Girl smiled at the sight of Moriz holding one of Netila's hands as she rested in her bed of leaves, already looking a lot better than she did before.

* * *

When they arrived at King Harpor's tree-palace, Agent Molly Gunther discreetly called the team - Ben, Lucky Girl, Max, Elliot and Tomyx - to a more reserved place, away from the crowd of spider -apes.

"Do we have a plan to face this Ultimate Root Shark? It's great that the spider-apes are at our side now, but even though there are hundreds of them, I'm still not confident. Just imagine three hundred unarmed people against a single man with a machine gun with infinite bullets," She said with a somber tone.

Of course, in Molly's metaphor the monster was the man with the infinite machine gun while the agents and the apes were the defenseless people.

"I think Dr. Animo controls the monster, right?" Elliot said, "If we kill or knock Animo out, will the monster stop?"

"No," Grandpa Max answered. "I know Animo's monsters. They're mindless wild beasts without him to control them. That may be even more dangerous to us."

"I have a plan," Ben said. "My tenth alien will get the job done."

What? What alien was Ben referring to? He mentioned once to Gwen that he had ten aliens on the watch. She had seen Four Arms, XLR8, Ripjaws, Wildmutt, Diamondhead and Grey Matter in action, and he had also told Gwen about three others - Heatblast, Upgrade and Stinkfly. Then she realized Ben never told her anything about his tenth alien.

"I'm pretty sure an irrational beast won't be able to resist my alien's power." Ben said. "Remember the 'suicide dive' strategy we discussed some time ago, Agent Tennyson?"

Suicide Dive? Gwen didn't like that name AT ALL.

"No..." Grandpa Max said with a very worried look on his face, "That's too risky, we can't do it."

"Nah, the chances of me actually getting hurt are like, less than one-in-three. I'll be fine," He said, shrugging. His words obviously brought no comfort for Gwen. Those chances were still WAY too high for her. "Besides, Molly is in charge here, remember?" He said with a smirk. "And I think she is ok with this."

"Does anyone else have a better plan?" Molly asked. Everybody remained silent. "I guess we are going with Ben's 'suicide dive' then. Let's get ready for when Bazard and the Vilgaxians come knocking at King Harpor's door."

After Ben exchanged a few words with Grandpa Max, it was Lucky Girl's turn to talk to him. Max gave the two teenagers privacy.

"It's beautiful, isn't it? Looks like a paradise," Ben said. The day was dawning, and from outside of King Hapor's tree-palace, they could see the orange sky above, most of the wood constructions of the spider-apes below and the beautiful forest in the distance.

"It is. But this paradise is a nightmare too," Lucky Girl replied. "And I can't really appreciate anything when there's a one-in-three chance of my partner dying. To make things worse, it looks like you're actually _enjoying_ all this danger."

"As someone said, 'You're not alive unless you're almost dying'." The Doofus chuckled, "But of course I don't _want_ to die. And… well... you're the Lucky Girl, you can actually help me with my odds of survival." Watch Boy said, his red eyes locked with Lucky Girl's violet ones, as he placed his hands on her cheeks.

"If I had the Charm of Luck here with me, I would give it to you, but I don't, and I also don't know any spell that can transfer-"

He cut her off with a kiss.

On the lips.

He brushed his lips against hers for a few seconds, and even used his tongue a little bit, but it was still a quick kiss, and before Lucky Girl could react, he pulled away.

She just stared at him dumbfounded.

"A kiss for luck," he said, with a wide toothy grin. Then he closed his eyes and protected his head with his hands, as if he was expecting her to hit him.

Lucky Girl remained speechless. She had been kissed by her cousin. Gwen was still processing that. She didn't know exactly what she was feeling, but she also knew she _wasn't_ disgusted or repulsed by it. She _should_ be disgusted and repulsed by it. But the butterflies in her stomach…

"I'm so sorry, Lucky Girl. I shouldn't have done that. You told me you want us to be just friends, and you already have a boyfriend. Crap, I messed up, I know…" He said, lowering his head, "But I lied before... I'm not over you. That's why I didn't want to be your partner. I knew that being so close to you, I would eventually end up doing something like this. I'm really sorry." He started to walk away from her.

"Wait," she pulled him by his arm. The last thing she wanted now was for Ben to get distracted from the battle they had ahead of them, thinking that she was mad at him. "It's ok. I'm not mad. We will talk about this later. Just survive ok? I need you to survive," She said.

Before he could say anything, they heard Bazard and the Vilgaxians arrive at the wooden bridge in front of the tree palace. Lucky Girl counted 17 of them, including Bazard. They were probably all the Vilgaxians on the island, and they were greatly outnumbered by the spider-ape's army.

"King Harpor, we need your help to catch the humans who want to destroy," Bazard said, and then stopped when he realized the agents were right there.

"You owe us explanation!" King Harpor said angrily.

"King Harpor, don't believe a word of what those humans may have said to you…" Bazard tried to defend himself.

"We didn't say anything! We showed them the truth," Max said. Then the spy-drone that Grey Matter had reprogramed projected the footage of Dr. Animo, Bazard and the Ultimate Root Shark on the tree-palace's wall.

"You squid-people work with evil humans… create more monsters to hurt us…" King Harpor snorted.

"Ok, the hard way it is then..." Bazard then signaled some device on his wrist. Seconds later, they saw the gigantic Ultimate Root Shark leaving the military building and approaching the tree-palace, and who was riding the beast was Dr. Animo himself.

"ANIMO!" King Harpor screamed in anger, clearly recognizing the mad scientist.

"I created all of you! You would be nothing more than stupid monkeys if I hadn't mutated you!" Animo shouted, sliding from the creature to the top of the wood bridge where Bazard and the Vilgaxians were, "You should be grateful for what I did to you! No pain, no gain!"

Bazard then said, "You can see this beast here. If you choose to fight against us, it will destroy your homes and kill your elders and children. But if you choose to fight the battles we will eventually order you to fight, your families will stay here under our protection and no harm will come to them."

"APES… WILL… NEVER… BE… SLAVES… AGAIN!" King Harpor screamed.

"Such a waste," Bazard said, and then nodded to Animo, signaling that it was time for the Ultimate Root Shark to attack.

Ben slammed the watch and turned into a ghost-like alien with a gaseous appearance and claw-like hands. He had grey skin with black lines running all over him. "GHOSTFREAK will show you all what a real monster is like," He said, with a scary voice that creeped Lucky Girl out.

Ghostfreak dissipated himself in a black mist that moved itself across the air and entered inside the monster through its mouth. The monsters' red eyes turned black with white pupils.

Dr. Animo was trying to shout orders to the Ultimate Root Shark, but the creature wasn't in his control anymore.

The monster seemed to be smiling, and started circling Animo and the Vilgaxians, looking like a snake waiting to attack. The frightened Vilgaxians pointed their guns at it, while the Ultimate Root Shark possessed by Ghostfreak opened its mouth…

"No, Ben, don't kill them! Focus, don't let Ghostfreak's instincts overcome your mind!" Max shouted, and then he addressed the bad guys, "And you don't even think about attacking him, otherwise he will kill you. Drop your weapons and surrender."

Animo, Bazard and the Vilgaxians soldiers threw their arms up in defeat and complied.

"We kill them," Harpor said.

"No, we defeated them for you. We do this on our own terms," Molly said. "We will take them with us and we promise you will never see these guys again."

"Do not listen them, Harpor! Apes kill all enemies!" Zaru said. Definitely that spider-gorilla was out for blood.

Harpor gestured for Zaru to calm down. "They prevent many apes' deaths today. We listen them."

The Spider-Apes and the agents restrained the Vilgaxians and Dr. Animo. But first, Max punched Animo in the face. "Ah, I feel so much better now," He said with a smirk.

Bazard turned to Tomyx and began speaking to him in their native tongue. Lucky Girl quickly whispered, " _Comprehendere sermone_ ", casting a spell that allowed her to understand a conversation happening around her in a foreign language. The spell had limitations - it couldn't make her understand a written text or a recorded audio - but for that situation, it was perfect.

"S.E.C.T. knows who you really are now, Tomyx." Bazard said, "They will never trust or respect you. And imagine how many agents lost family and friends because of Lord Vilgax... Do you really think some of them won't try to kill Vilgax's son as revenge? You will never be safe with them."

"Bazard is trying to manipulate Tomyx." Lucky Girl said.

"You shouldn't have left him out before, Agent Tennyson," Elliot then punched Bazard in the face, "He deserved one of these too."

After that, the gigantic Ultimate Root Shark laid his head down on the floor of the tree-palace.

"King Harpor, your spider-apes can kill it now," Max said, with the same worried look on his face from earlier.

Lucky Girl froze. That is why Ben had called this a 'suicide dive'. He was possessing the Ultimate Root Shark so the apes could safely kill it.

Her heart skipped a beat as the spider-apes stabbed the Ultimate Root Shark's head with their wooden stakes. She went more and more desperate with every scream of pain the monster uttered as the apes breached through its exoskeleton. Some minutes later, to her relief, the black mist left the lifeless monster's mouth and turned back into Ghostfreak, and then into Ben.

But Ben looked so pale...

"See, I told you," he said, smiling, "The suicide dive is pretty safe and-"

Then he fainted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my original plan for the spider-apes arc, Zaru was suposed to be a main villain alongside Dr. Animo. I had to change some stuff and another OC, Bazard, served as the second villain in this arc, while Zaru ended up as a secondary character. But maybe we can revisit the spider-apes' island in Season Two or Three...
> 
> Next chapter: Ben will find out Lucky Girl's secret identity! How is he going to react?


	11. Revelations and Consequences

**Revelations and Consequences**

* * *

**Ben**

* * *

When Ben opened his eyes, he found himself in an infirmary. And sitting in a chair right beside his bed there was a black haired beauty with violet eyes.

"Did I die and go to heaven, or are the nurses here all models?" he said with a weak smile.

"Ben, you're awake!" Lucky Girl was visibly happy.

"Where am I?" Ben asked. "What did I miss?"

"We are at S.E.C.T. Bellwood Headquarters. The bad guys were arrested. The hostages were saved… At least the ones who were still alive." Lucky Girl lowered her voice on the last part. "Director Steel made some arrangements with his bosses at the United Nations and King Harpor. The 'Island of the Spider-Apes' will be recognized as a sovereign state with Harpor as the ruler. S.E.C.T will turn the facility that Dr. Animo and Bazard were using into an UN embassy, to make sure the apes have a link with the rest of the world, and if anyone tries something against them, they will have a way to call for help."

"Is everybody happy with this arrangement?" Ben asked, arching an eyebrow.

"No way. Remember that big spider-gorilla with pale blue fur? Zaru? He hated it. He said that befriending humans is a mistake, and that the only way for the spider-apes to be safe is to make this planet into a planet of spider-apes by wiping out the human race."

"That's... bad," Ben said.

"Yep," Lucky Girl agreed. "Probably it will come back to bite us on the butt later. But tell me about what you did as Ghostfreak, possessing that monster. Can Ghostfreak simply possess anyone? Could you do the same with, I don't know, Vilgax? Of course, NOT the 'suicide dive' part. Could you possess him long enough for us to safely restrain him?"

"No, definitely not. A strong-willed person can only be possessed by an Ectonurite after drinking a good amount of ectoplasm produced by said Ectonurite, otherwise the person would be easily able to expel the Ectonurite. The Ultimate Root Shark was just an irrational beast, weak-minded enough for this trick to work," Ben answered.

"And do Ectonurites usually die if the being they are currently possessing gets killed?"

"No, usually not. The more experienced the Ectonurite is, the easier it gets to pull off stunts like my 'suicide dive' without any serious consequences. But it takes training," Ben said.

"You passed out for almost a day. I take it you're not experienced with Ghostfreak's skills then," Lucky Girl said.

"I don't like using him much…" Ben lowered his voice. "Each one of my aliens is me, but it's not me at the same time. Let me explain. It's like if I'm drunk, it's still me, but not quite me. When I'm XLR8, I'm hyperactive - more hyperactive than normal, I mean. When I'm Wildmutt, I want to chew bones, like a dog would. Every alien has his own instincts. And Ghostfreak… makes me want to kill people." He almost whispered the last part. "I don't turn into Ghostfreak unless it's absolutely necessary, so yeah, I don't train much with him."

"Probably another thing that will come back to bite us on the butt later." Lucky Girl bit her lip in worry. "I just wish they could take this watch off you, so you would be safe from danger."

"Are you gonna start with this again? You sound just like my cousin, you know." Ben sighed. "Let's talk about something else, like… our kiss." He smirked.

Ben knew he was pushing all of his luck with that - and, unlike Lucky Girl, Ben wasn't lucky, nowhere near it. He could understand that Lucky Girl did nothing about the stolen kiss back at the island because there were bigger problems at hand. But now, she could get fully mad at him.

She didn't get mad or complained. She just blushed. Ben's smirk turned into a grin from ear to ear.

"And you also promised you would reveal your real identity to me, 'miss Lucky Girl'," Ben said.

Lucky Girl sighed. "We will talk about this tomorrow. I will go to your house, while Un- your parents Carl and Sandra are at work."

"You know, you are also gonna have to tell me how you found out that Watch Boy is actually Ben Tennyson." Ben smiled.

"I will call the doctors to check on you now." Lucky Girl said, standing up from the chair.

* * *

**A few hours later, in the house of Carl and Sandra Tennyson.**

"Here he is, our newest agent in-training," Grandpa Max patted Ben on the back.

"Hi, sweetie. How did your training weekend go?" his mother Sandra kissed him on the cheek.

"It was cool, mom."

"I'm so proud of you for getting this internship at S.E.C.T. I always knew you would have a promising professional life ahead of you." Sandra smiled.

Ben smiled back to her, feeling a little guilty. Of course, his mother didn't know anything about the Omnitrix. She just thought Ben was competent enough on his own to get a safe bureaucratic position at S.E.C.T. - for now as an internship, but after he was done with high school as a full-time job. Not telling his mother the truth was for the best though. That way, Sandra wouldn't worry about him.

"So, Ben, did you see your cousin there?" his father Carl asked.

"What? Gwen?" Ben asked with a confused look on his face.

"Yes, Frank told me Gwen got an internship at S.E.C.T. in the scientific department. Frank and Natalie always wanted her to study Law like them, but they're also very happy that Gwen is going to be a scientist working for S.E.C.T. in the future, it's a prestigious and rewarding career," Carl said.

Funny, Gwen hadn't told him about that. This was something big.

"No, I didn't see the Dweeb," Ben said. Of course he wouldn't. Gwen was actually training at S.E.C.T. Academy while Ben was on an island facing root sharks and Vilgaxians. "I will look for her next time."

* * *

That Monday afternoon, Ben's parents were at work. Carl was a civil engineer employed by City Hall, and Sandra was a dietitian who worked in a hospital. Since this was during summer vacation, Ben had no school to attend to that day. He stayed at his house and waited for the visit his partner Lucky Girl had promised him.

He heard the doorbell ringing, and immediately ran to the door. He was obviously expecting Lucky Girl, but his visitor was Gwen.

Gwen smiled awkwardly to him "Please, Ben, don't get mad at me." Then she wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

"Hi, Dweeb. I'm not mad. But why didn't you tell me about your new future job at S.E.C.T.? Did you think I wouldn't like you working in the same place I do or something?" He said hugging her back. "I know we have our rivalry, cuz, but I'm not _that_ immature. I'm very happy for you."

"Thanks…" Gwen let out an embarrassed chuckle.

But, of course, Ben couldn't act totally nice and mature with his cousin, what would be the fun in that? So, as she walked past him, he took the opportunity to slap her backside. "Big butt!" He laughed.

He wasn't expecting Gwen to accept his 'joke', of course. Ben mentally prepared himself to be on the receiving end of a very painful karate move, as usual.

But that didn't happen this time.

Gwen just stood there, blushing.

Well, he wasn't going to complain about _not_ getting hit by her, so he changed the subject.

"Lucky Girl is coming here today, cuz," he said excited. "I know I told you I was over her before, but new developments happened. She still has a boyfriend, of course, but I think I have a chance to convince her I'm the better option and-"

"She doesn't have a boyfriend, Ben," Gwen sounded completely sure of what she was saying.

"How do you know? Did she tell you that?" Ben arched an eyebrow.

"You heard her talking to her grandmother on the cell phone after you guys saved Julie from the Squid Monster, and you assumed she was talking to a boyfriend. Later she just confirmed it to you, because she thought it would be the best way to make you give up on her," Gwen said in a low voice.

Ben scratched his chin for a few seconds, thinking about Gwen's words. "I guess she told you that, right?" then he sat at the couch in the living room, and Gwen sat right beside him. "So I don't have a competitor, that's a good thing. But it means she had another reason to turn me down and I have no idea what that could be. I mean, it could be just the obvious. I'm just an average-looking guy with very bad luck with girls, the not-boyfriend material kind of guy, but… I don't know."

"You might be a doofus sometimes, Ben, but Lucky Girl knows you're also an amazing guy, with a good heart and very handsome. She definitely thinks you're boyfriend material…" Gwen's face was almost as red as her hair now. "... But not meant for her. That's why from the very start, she insisted that you two should be just friends."

"Wait…" Ben said, suspicious, "Did Lucky Girl ask you to come here? She's not going to talk to me in person?"

"She _is_ talking to you in person Ben… _Transfigura Apparentia._ "

And then Ben was so shocked he literally fell from the couch on the floor.

He saw a blue aura covering Gwen's body and a second later, in front of him it wasn't his redheaded green-eyed cousin wearing a cat shirt and white pants anymore. It was his black-haired purple-eyed partner, fully dressed with her Lucky Girl costume.

"No. Freaking. Way," Ben said, still in shock. "G-Gwen, you a-are Lucky Girl? How?"

" _Transfigura Apparentia,_ " She said, changing back to Gwen again. "I'm a Sorceress, an alien. From my mother's side."

"It's impossible. Aunt Natalie kind of hates aliens," Ben said.

"Sometimes, even I wonder if she actually does…" Gwen sighed. "But I guess it's just a self-defense thing, she says bad things about aliens so nobody will ever imagine that she _is_ an alien herself."

"W-Who else knows that you and your mom are aliens? Why didn't you tell me that years ago?"

"Only my dad knows. And now you. My mother didn't want me to tell anyone. My dad never told anyone either, not even to your father, his brother, whom he is super close to."

"Do your parents also know that you're Lucky Girl?"

"No. Just like your parents don't know you're Watch Boy."

"I still hate that stupid name," Ben sighed. "If your mother doesn't know you're using your powers, then who trained you to..."

"My grandmother Verdona. And she is kind of a wanted criminal by S.E.C.T, so she also asked me to keep Lucky Girl's real identity a secret from everyone… including you," Gwen said. "But I can't do this to you anymore."

"The thing between us..." Ben whispered.

Gwen sighed. "I'm so sorry Ben. I really tried to convince you that we should be only partners from the start… I never meant to hurt you."

"I kissed you," Ben said, his eyes the size of dinner plates.

"Yes, you did." Gwen bit her lip.

"Oh, my…" Ben lowered his head. "Why did you want to be my partner so badly?"

"I have powers, and I can't just sit back while you risk your life. You're my baby cousin. I love you, and I would do anything to protect you," Gwen said, with a tear falling from her eye. "Are you mad, Ben?"

He should be mad. But he wasn't. His mind was too focused on another thought…

"Looking back at it now, it was so obvious and yet I couldn't see all the signs…" Ben mumbled under his breath. "All this time, Lucky Girl was the same Gwen Tennyson I always knew, but with black hair, violet eyes, magical powers and not my cousin." and then he turned his head in Gwen's direction. "Do you think that's why I fell for her? Because she was you?"

"What?" Gwen was taken aback by his question.

Gwen was a dweeb, but she was also beautiful and amazing. He couldn't take his eyes off her whenever she was wearing a bikini, for example. His 'jokes' of smacking her butt were a little less innocent than he would admit too. And it wasn't just about her beauty. He admired her intelligence and her personality too - true, she could be annoying and bossy sometimes, but she was also the best friend he could ever ask for. But he had never seriously _considered_ anything between him and Gwen before, because they were _cousins_.

Lucky Girl was basically a Gwen who _wasn't_ his cousin, and he immediately started crushing hard on her. Was it a mistaken case of love at first sight, or was he simply projecting his repressed feelings for Gwen on this _other, unrelated_ Gwen?

"Well, let's forget about me for now, and let's talk about you…" Ben said, looking straight at Gwen's green eyes, "You blush around me a lot… When you said I should date Julie, and I said I couldn't look at any other girl with you around, you smiled... When I kissed you, you were surprised, yes, but I didn't see any hint of disgust on your face. I think you liked it… And you knew it was me all along."

Gwen was the one nervous now. She tried to hide it under a forced chuckle, "D-Do you t-think I h-have a c-crush on you? T-That's r-ridiculous, Ben."

"Forget about Watch Boy, Lucky Girl, watches and spells. Imagine just Ben and Gwen. Imagine if we were just friends and not cousins… Do you think we would… be together?" Ben asked, still locking eyes with Gwen.

Gwen took a deep breath. "But we are cousins, Ben, we can't imagine anything different from our reality."

"Well, to be honest, if we're not cousins, it would be worse for me. You would be just another one in the long list of girls that I would get a crush on and then get crushed." Ben chuckled. "I _like_ that we're cousins. We wouldn't have bonded otherwise."

"I don't think I would 'crush' you, Ben," Gwen said, blushing, "But I like being your cousin too. We have a nice bond as cousins and that's the end of it. Whatever thing… beyond that… is _wrong_ , and we have to bury it very, very deep and never ever think about it again." Gwen stated matter-of-factly.

Ben always took pride in being a rule breaker, but he also knew that what he wanted to do now was much bigger than cheating on school exams or stealing a glass of champagne at a party when he was twelve. But he didn't care. Between Gwen and social acceptance, he would pick Gwen in a heartbeat.

"Why should we care about what other people think?" Ben asked, taking her hand in his. "You just told me Aunt Lilie is an alien… And she married Uncle Frank, who is a human. It's a taboo too. So why can't we also give ourselves a chance to figure things out between us?"

Gwen bit her lip, she was probably trying to think of an answer.

Ben decided to make up her mind with another kiss. He slowly leaned in, and Gwen didn't move nor tried to push him away. But when he was about to brush his lips on hers, he heard the sound of the door, and both he and Gwen immediately distanced themselves from each other. Gwen grabbed the remote control and turned on the TV.

A few seconds later, Ben's father Carl appeared in the living room.

"Hi, Dad! You got home early today." Ben tried his best to pretend everything was normal.

"Oh, yeah, we didn't have much to do, and they decided to-" And then Carl stopped, and noticed Gwen was there too, "Hi, Gwen! What a pleasant surprise. I didn't know you were coming here today!"

"Hi, Uncle Carl. Mom and Dad were out working at the Law firm. I was bored and called Ben. He was bored staying at home alone too, and invited me over to watch Netflix and play videogames," she lied.

"You invited yourself over, Dweeb," Ben said. He wasn't lying, 'Lucky Girl' had told him she would come to his house. Of course it didn't matter, he was just provoking Gwen to start a fight.

"No, I didn't, Doofus! You invited me," Gwen threw a pillow at him.

If there was one thing Ben and Gwen knew how to do was fight over anything, no matter how small. That would help to break the awkward atmosphere between them.

Carl laughed at the arguing teenagers. "You know, Ben, I always had my big brother Frank around and I can't imagine my life without him. I would've hated being an only child. So, I always wanted you to have siblings…" He let out a sad sigh. After Ben, his parents tried to have another child. Sandra got pregnant with a girl, but sadly she lost the baby. "But life gave you a perfect sister, your cousin Gwen." He smiled. "I will take a shower upstairs, you two have fun with your games and Netflix, kids."

After he left, Ben noticed Gwen looked very guilty.

"Your dad's right, Ben," she whispered, "I should be like a sister to you. But I take full responsibility for the mess that's happening between us right now. And I know how to fix it. I will help you get a girlfriend, and you're going to forget about 'Lucky Girl' and about me. Everything will be fine again, you'll see."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Did this chapter surprise you, or did you already guess what was going to happen? I'm curious to know. Please, leave a review. Opinions, criticism, suggestions, cake recipes, anything you want to say. I really like to have feedback from my readers :)
> 
> * So, Gwen is going to set up Ben on a date with somebody else in the next chapter. Who do you think it's gonna be? Do you think it's gonna work? Do you think Ben should get a girlfriend and forget about Gwen?


	12. Peer Pressure, part I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Picture:  
> \- Ship merged with a battle-suit (with Julie inside)  
> \- Stinkfly  
> \- Upgrade

**Peer Pressure, part I**

* * *

**Ben**

* * *

Ben and Gwen were sitting on a bench in Bellwood Park.

"You remember Julie, right? The girl we - Watch Boy and Lucky Girl - saved from a Squid-Monster. She plays tennis. I went to watch a match a few weeks ago, and we became friends. I talked to her about you, and she's interested in getting to know you," Gwen said, and Ben noticed she was trying to hide the sadness in her voice. He knew that Gwen herself hated this idea.

_"Why does she have to be so goodie-goodie and responsible all the time?"_

"Gwen, I want _you_." he caressed her face. Although the park was almost empty that morning, Ben still had the urge to look around to make sure there was nobody there who knew them.

Gwen let out a sad sigh. "Look what you just did, Ben. You looked over your shoulder before touching me. You know _this_ wouldn't work. We would lose our friends, and our family would never accept us."

"I-I d-don't really care if people find out-"

"Ben, Julie will be great for you," Gwen interrupted him. "She is pretty and kind. You'll thank me for it later." She gave him a sad smile.

"What if I don't want to date any other girl besides you?" Ben asked determined.

"Ben... There's only one way we can get over this thing we have for each other... we need to find other people to love." Gwen took a deep breath, and Ben could swear she was holding back tears, "I want things to be easier for you. Let's make a deal. I promise I won't date anyone until you find a girl who makes you happy first. But you have to promise me that you will try, and the first thing to do is let me introduce you to Julie."

While Ben was terrible with girls, Gwen would have no problem finding a boyfriend that very same day if she wanted to - most boys she met usually crushed on her on at least some degree, even her own _cousin_. She was giving him the chance to 'move on' first. Ben let out a long sigh, and decided to accept Gwen's plan.

* * *

"Gwen ... What if she finds out about the Omnitrix?" Ben whispered worried. Ben and Gwen were watching Julie Yamamoto playing a tennis match.

"Julie is a good person. I'm sure she'll keep your secret if she finds out," Gwen replied.

The small crowd stood up to applaud. The game was over, with Julie's victory.

"Come on, Ben." Gwen grabbed him by his arm and led him to the court.

"Gwen! It's good to see you!" Julie said.

"Hi, Julie! Congratulations on the win! This is my cousin, Ben. I'll let you guys talk." Gwen took a few steps back and pushed Ben closer to Julie.

"Hi!" Ben chuckled nervously. "That was a great match."

"Thanks." Julie smiled at him.

"Err ... That's it. C-Congratulations." Ben always had trouble talking to girls. The only girl of his age with whom he managed to be more loose and natural with was Gwen. Near any other girl, he would began to stutter and he never knew what to say. "You're a great player. Err... Bye, and... I hope we can see each other again later."

"Bye! I hope so too," Julie said, still smiling.

Could _'I hope we can see each other again later'_ be counted as asking her out? Anyway, Ben slowly began to take a few steps back, embarrassed and shy, until someone - Gwen - shoved him back, not without whispering in his ear first, "Ask her out to dinner. At Le'Roys. Tonight, seven-thirty."

"Hi ... again," Ben said, a little embarrassed.

"Hi!" Julie said.

"Do you ... want ... to have dinner ... tonight? Of course you want to have dinner tonight, otherwise you're going to starve," he chuckled nervously again, "What I mean is, do you want to have dinner with me tonight at Le'Roys, seven-thirty?" Ben said, very nervous.

"Yeah, I'd love to," Julie said, sounding very happy with the invitation. "Come by my house, my father can drive us there."

* * *

**Later…**

Ben was in his bedroom, getting ready for the date with Julie.

Ben would have been extremely happy to go out with her ... before. Now, he couldn't stop comparing her to Gwen. Julie was cute, but Gwen was _beautiful_. It was cool to watch Julie's tennis match, but it was _amazing_ to watch Gwen's karate competitions. Would Julie understand if he had to cancel a date with her all of a sudden because S.E.C.T. needed him to solve some alien emergency elsewhere? With Gwen, she would be by his side, kicking the butts of the aliens that ruined their date.

"I have to forget about Gwen once and for all. Julie _deserves_ someone who values her. And I'm going to value her for what she is, without comparing her to anyone." Ben spoke to himself in a low voice, determined to make things work between him and Julie.

To clear his head, he decided he would fly to Julie's house using one of his aliens. Of course there was the problem of the clothes - every time he turned alien, his normal clothes were torn apart. Fortunately, S.E.C.T.'s scientists had discovered a new feature in the Omnitrix. The watch could envelop him in a substance that created clothes for him instantly, based on his thoughts.

Ben used the Omnitrix to dress up with a long-sleeved buttoned shirt, trousers and shoes and left the house after saying goodbye to his parents - who were very glad he had a date. Ben tried to focus on this positive detail: if everything went well, this would be a relationship that would make his family _happy_. The only possible way for his parents to get pissed at him because of a date with Julie would be if he failed to come home before eleven pm.

Ben got in the first dark alley he found and activated the Omnitrix, turning into a big insect with green wings, four pedunculated eyes, four legs, two arms and a tail with a stinger, Stinkfly.

Flying through the city was awesome. Stinkfly simply enjoyed that feeling for a few minutes ... until he spotted another alien flying towards him.

The other alien had a black exterior and green stripes that resembled electric circuitry all over him, which made Ben remember one of his own aliens, Upgrade. That one was probably of the same species, and had the same abilities to merge with machines. And it looked like he had merged himself with some kind of very technological and powerful battle-suit.

"Ship, ship, ship, ship ..." The alien spoke as he got closer to Stinkfly with great speed thanks to the propulsion in his jet boots.

He didn't look friendly.

Stinkfly tried to avoid him, but 'Ship' was able to grab him tight. But even partially immobilized, Stinkfly was able to stab Ship in the chest with his sting tail. Luckily, Stinkfly's sting was more resistant than the armor Ship had merged himself with, and that move was enough to stun Ship for a few moments.

Stinkfly took the opportunity to spit a green and sticky slime on Ship's boots. Stinkfly's slime was also adhesive and immobilizing, and that would surely make Ship have some trouble with flying.

Stinkfly was ready to continue the fight, but the Omnitrix on his face began to beep, glowing red. Stinkfly quickly flew down, looking for some alley where no one would see him turning back to Ben.

A few moments later, back to normal, Ben, fortunately, didn't see any signs of Ship. He used his communicator to tell Grandpa what happened.

After Ben finished the story, Grandpa Max said, "Ben, hide, and when the Omnitrix goes green again, you turn into XLR8 and run to the S.E.C.T. base"

"No way, Grandpa. I have a date now, and I'm already late," Ben replied worried about the time.

"Kiddo, your safety is a lot more important than a date! This alien might still be hunting you! Do what I said and-"

"I'm sorry, Grandpa, there's an interference with the communicator, I can't listen to you," Ben lied. "But I promise I'll be careful. I'll have to go now. Goodbye."

* * *

In the car with Julie and Mr. Yamamoto, Ben was quite nervous.

Julie was wearing a sparkly, knee-length blue dress. She wore light makeup that matched her dark chin-length hair. She looked very cute. She looked very _beautiful_ , Ben mentally corrected himself. But the word 'beautiful' reminded him of Gwen, which only made things worse.

"Sweetie, don't get your hopes too high with this boy," Mr. Yamamoto said.

"Dad!" Julie protested, with a frown on her face.

"He was late-"

"Accidents happen, dad! And he explained everything." Julie frowned. Ben had come up with an excuse to justify his lateness, obviously.

"And I was there at your tennis match. I saw that your friend, the redhead, had to _literally_ push this boy to talk-"

"He's just shy, Dad!" Julie folded her arms.

"I'm just saying this because you're my baby girl and I don't want you getting your feelings hurt. He doesn't seem very interested..."

"Mr. Yamamoto, I'm sorry. Your daughter is a wonderful girl, and I'm very interested in getting to know her better," Ben said.

Mr. Yamamoto almost jumped in the driver's seat. Julie also looked at him with wide eyes.

"Do you speak Japanese, boy?" Mr. Yamamoto asked.

"Er ... No," Ben said, a little confused. But he quickly understood what had happened. Julie's father was speaking in _Japanese_ with her, and the Omnitrix was translating everything to Ben. "I mean ... I took some lessons a while ago."

"I didn't mean to offend you with what I said. I only want what's best for my baby girl, like all good parents do," Mr. Yamamoto said in a low voice.

"Of course, you're right." Ben let out a nervous chuckle. He felt a little guilty. He would never be the 'best' for Julie until he stopped thinking about Gwen. But he couldn't make himself stop thinking about her.

* * *

Mr. Yamamoto dropped them at the restaurant and asked Julie to call him later to pick her up. Ben and Julie talked a lot during dinner. Ben was usually terrible talking to girls, but he found out that Julie was nice and easy to talk to.

Julie told him that she had competed in five professional tennis tournaments, and that her dream was winning an Olympic medal as a tennis player in the future. Ben told her about his 'internship' in S.E.C.T. - of course he did not tell her anything about the Omnitrix, but he said he aspired to be a great agent in the future, just like his grandfather. Julie then told him about the bad experience she had involving a Squid-Monster, and fortunately she was saved by two young agents of S.E.C.T. - Watch Boy and Lucky Girl.

"It's funny, when I arrived in town, I saw a sign that read, 'Welcome to Bellwood, the most normal city in America,' but in my first month here I was almost eaten by an alien monster, now I think that sign was pure sarcasm." Julie giggled.

"No, actually, things in Bellwood are pretty quiet most of the time," Ben said. "To have here in town a crazy Vilgax-worshiper with a Squid-Monster pet was an exception."

Suddenly, the restaurant door was ripped off by Ship, still fused with the battle-suit from before. "Ship, ship, ship, ship!"

"I have a severe case of bad luck then, because that's another 'exception' right there," Julie said, scared.

The people ran off frightened. Ben grabbed Julie by the arm and ran towards the bathroom.

"Let's hide in the booths. You hide in this one here, while I will stay in the next one." Of course he had no intention of hiding.

" _Let's fight fire with fire,_ " Ben thought. He changed his looks to Watch Boy, and then he dialed the Omnitrix to select Upgrade.

Ben slammed the watch, and turned into an alien with a black exterior with green electric circuitry-like stripes, and a green torso with black stripes.

"Ben?" Julie asked. She had probably noticed the bright green light that had shone every time he turned into an alien.

"Just stay where you are, Julie," he said, and immediately realized he had made a mistake. His voice was now Upgrade's voice, not Ben's.

Ship broke the bathroom door. Upgrade charged up against him, but he was blasted with an energy beam coming from the battle armor's chest, and was thrown against the wall.

Ship ripped off the booth door where Julie was and grabbed her.

"AAH, help!" Julie shouted. The battle suit opened up and wrapped itself around Julie. Crap, now Upgrade couldn't do anything against Ship without the risk of hurting Julie inside the armor. "HELP!"

"Ship, ship," Ship said, and Upgrade understood it as 'follow me'. Ship took off, breaking through the roof of the restaurant's bathroom.

Upgrade ran out, and merged with the first motorcycle he found. Upgrade could not only control the machine he fused himself with, he could also - as his name suggested - upgrade it. The motorcycle was now able to fly through the sky after Ship.

Upgrade regretted not cancelling the date like Grandpa Max had requested. In his recklessness, he didn't stop to think that he would be putting Julie in danger as well.

A few minutes later, Ship entered inside an abandoned building, and Upgrade followed him.

"Let the girl go," Upgrade said, un-merging with the bike. "This is between you and me, you crazy alien."

"Actually, this is between you and me," a voice spoke at the back of the room.

The lights turned on, and Upgrade saw that voice belonged to a small alien, a red-eyed Galvan - the same species as Gray Matter. He was wearing a black and red robe.

"My name is Albedo. You have something that belongs to me, _human_ ," The Galvan said, pronouncing the word 'human' with a tone of contempt and arrogance, "I want _my_ Omnitrix back."

**TO BE CONTINUED...**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Peer Pressure" is an adaptation of an AF episode, "Pier Pressure". People who saw the episode are certainly noticing many similarities. Gwen literally pushing Ben to ask Julie out because he was too shy is actually one of them, so, sorry folks, it was not my idea to make Gwen do that.
> 
> Sorry about the cliffhanger. This and the next chapter were supposed to be a single chapter, but it was getting way too long, and I decided to make it into a two-part arc. You will probably see the next part popping up soon.


	13. Peer Pressure, part II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pic:  
> Albedo  
> Evolved Albedo

****

**Peer Pressure, part II**

* * *

**Ben**

* * *

"My name is Albedo. You have something that belongs to me, _human_ ," The Galvan said, pronouncing the word 'human' with a tone of contempt and arrogance, "I want my Omnitrix back."

The Omnitrix timed-out, and Upgrade turned back into Ben - 'Watch Boy' - again. _"Crap."_

"Weird, the watch didn't have your name written on it when I found it. What makes you think the Omnitrix is yours?" Ben asked.

"23976120, restrain him," Albedo said.

Ship - to whom Albedo referred as 23976120 - grabbed a chain and tied up Ben's feet and arms. Julie was still inside the armor, and from the transparent material in the front of the helmet, Ben could see her sobbing. "Don't worry, everything is going to be all right." Ben tried to calm her down, even though he was not sure of anything at all.

"To answer your question, _human_ ," Albedo said, "I _created_ the Omnitrix. It's my right to use it. "

Ben was lying down, completely immobilized. Albedo approached his wrist and began to tinker with the Omnitrix. Ben knew that if it were to be removed by force, it could break. Albedo was probably trying to remove the watch from Ben the right way.

A few minutes passed and Albedo was still unable to take the Omnitrix off Ben. The red-eyed Galvan looked utterly frustrated.

Ben raised doubts about Albedo's earlier statement. If he had really created the Omnitrix, he probably would know how to remove it.

"Damn you, Azmuth!" Albedo cursed with anger.

"I'll take a wild guess... Azmuth is the guy who actually created the Omnitrix," Ben said.

"Shut up!" Albedo shouted. "I WAS THERE ALL THE TIME! I WAS HIS ASSISTANT! HE WOULD NOT HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT ME! And yet ..." He lowered his voice, "He hid information from me. He didn't tell me how to unlock the To'kustar form... He didn't tell me how to take off the watch... He didn't want me to wear it... "

"So you stole Azmuth's watch ..." Ben whispered.

"I got what was rightfully mine!" Albedo snapped again.

"And the Vilgaxians stole the watch from you ..." Ben said, remembering that Tomyx had brought the Omnitrix to Earth when he defected from Vilgax's army. And he was being pursued by several Vilgaxian soldiers.

"Those stupid squids... They took the Omnitrix from me using brute force, and they almost broke it completely," Albedo said, closing his eyes. It had probably been very painful to have the Omnitrix removed by force. Ben would have sympathized with him, if he was not such an evil s.o.b.

"23976120, let's go before the human authorities arrive here. Take the wielder of the Omnitrix to the ship, but first... kill the female human. We don't need her anymore," Albedo said.

"NO!" Ben shouted "Let her go!"

"Ship... ship, ship ..." Ship said in a tone that sounded very sad.

"I gave you an order, you idiot! Do not question your master!" Albedo yelled at Ship.

Ship opened up his armor, releasing Julie. Then he grabbed her by the neck and lifted her with one hand. The other hand was aiming toward Julie's face, ready to trigger a burst of energy that would certainly be fatal.

"DON'T DO IT!" Ben shouted.

"No," Julie sobbed, "please, don't."

. . .

Then Ship put Julie back inside the armor and aimed his arm toward Albedo. "Ship, ship, ship, SHIP!"

"You're worthless Galvanic Mecamorph!" Albedo protested, angry at Ship's betrayal.

"I think ... I think he'll hear me now," Julie said, surprised. "Ship, please release my friend." Ship then fired a few bursts at the chains, and released Ben.

"Now we're talking!" Ben cheered, "The game is over, Albedo. You're going to jail. "

"I wanted to put an extra feature in the Omnitrix, an _evolutionary function_ ," Albedo said, with a dark grin on his face. "Something to evolve and optimize the aliens' DNA for a war situation. Azmuth didn't accept it. He said that what I proposed was unstable, dangerous, and that the Omnitrix was created to make the different species communicate with each other, not to wage war. So I stopped the development of this new feature. But after Azmuth and I had our little falling out, I resumed my work on the Evolutionary Device, and it's finished now."

"I love my aliens just the way they are. If you think you're going to bargain your freedom in exchange for that evolutionary thing you created, you're very wrong," Ben said.

The red-eyed Galvan laughed creepily. "No. I'm going to integrate the Evolutionary Device with the Omnitrix after I take it from you. But for now, I still have one alien that I can evolve ... myself."

Albedo pressed a button on the belt of his robe, and he immediately began to mutate. Albedo grew from four inches to almost 16 inches, most of it just head. He had a huge head - with his brain pushing its way out - contrasting with small arms and legs. He also had a third red eye in the middle of his head, in the center above the two normal eyes. Albedo floated in the air with a small hovercraft, which somehow appeared after the mutation.

"YES! I feel the power flowing through my veins!" Albedo shouted. "And I'll make you suffer!"

"Going hero!" Ben shouted, activating the Omnitrix. Ben turned into a fiery alien whose body consisted of a bright magma interior covered by dark red rocks, "HEATBLAST will fry your evolved brain!"

Heatblast threw several fireballs at the Galvan, but Albedo protected himself with a telekinetic shield in a big display of his new mind powers.

"Now it's my turn!" Several immensely powerful bursts of energy from Albedo's third eye hit Heatblast, Julie and Ship. Fortunately, Julie was protected inside Ship's armor. From the pain that Heatblast felt, he knew that those blasts would, in a best case scenario, put any normal human in the hospital for a very long time.

Heatblast was crawling on the floor, trying to get closer to Albedo.

"Don't worry, it'll all be over soon," Albedo said, smirking. He was charging another burst of energy in his third eye.

Heatblast knew he couldn't let Albedo win. He focused as much as he could, and in one last desperate effort, he fired huge fireballs around him at random - just taking care not to hit Julie and Ship - which set fire to much of the floor of the building.

"Your aim is terrible." The Evolved Galvan laughed. But his laughter ended as he began to cough.

"I just think a big head like yours needs a lot of oxygen ... And I may not be the smartest guy here, but I know fire consumes a lot of oxygen." Heatblast smiled.

Albedo, coughing even more, fled through a window.

"He's escaping," Julie said, crawling across the floor. Fortunately, she was protected from the fire inside Ship's armor.

"We're too weak to keep fighting," Heatblast said, "We'll catch him another day. Let's get out of here."

* * *

At S.E.C.T.'s base, Ship unmerged with the battle suit, which was collected by S.E.C.T. In his normal form, the Galvanic Mechamorph looked like a small black seal with green stripes. He hurried up and down the armory room of S.E.C.T. excited, "Ship, ship, ship, ship!"

"Someone catch him soon, before he merges with any of our weapons here and causes trouble," Max said, worried.

Julie picked up Ship and put him on her lap. "I don't think he cares about weapons. Albedo wanted him to be a weapon, but ... I think he is just an innocent baby."

 _"A baby. That's it."_ Ben wondered why the Omnitrix translated several languages - terrestrial and alien - but he still couldn't understand Ship.

"Makes sense ..." Ben said. "What he says, 'ship', 'ship', must be like some sort of baby gibberish? Like, 'goo goo gaa gaa'."

"Ben, do you think Albedo might come after you and the Omnitrix again?" Max asked.

"I think he's going to try, yes. But I got the impression that he used Ship to detect the Omnitrix. Without Ship, I think it will be much harder for him to find me," Ben replied.

"So we have to hide this mechamorph well, in a place where Albedo will not think about looking for him," Max said.

"I ... I want to keep him," Julie said. "He saved my life."

"Ship, ship, ship," The Mechamorph said, still on Julie's lap, happily wagging his tail.

"I think I can arrange this," Max said. "And nobody would ever think that S.E.C.T. would leave a Galvanic Mechamorph in the hands of a civilian girl, it should work."

"Civilian?" Ben asked. "Let her keep that battle suit too, Grandpa. Then Ship merges with the armor, with Julie inside to tell him what to do. I'm sure she's going to kick butt as an agent!" He said excited.

"Ben!" Julie arched an eyebrow. "We have to _talk_."

"Err ... I'll leave you two alone," Max said, "I'll be outside the armory."

An awkward silence hovered in the room. Ben was totally embarrassed. He had not stopped to think that while he loved the thrill of a fight, for Julie it had probably been a very traumatic experience. Julie was completely different from him.

"Sorry ... This was probably the worst date of your life," Ben scratched his head.

"It was not your fault, Ben," Julie said. "But that's definitely not the kind of thing I want to do on a regular basis. I mean, if you _really_ need me or Ship, you can count on us, but ... I think you and your cousin have everything under control most of the time. "

"Of course, I understand," Ben said. And then he finally realized what Julie had said. "Hey, 'me and my cousin have everything under control'? Are you talking about Gwen? What does she have to do with this?" It was obvious that Julie had already realized that Watch Boy was just a fake identity for Ben, but that did not mean she needed to know that Gwen was Lucky Girl.

"Once I found out that you are Watch Boy, your partner's identity was easy to guess. Gwen loves shirts with cat drawings and Lucky Girl wears a cat mask, and-"

"Come on," Ben interrupted her, "It can't be _that_ obvious. She kept me in the dark about it for _weeks_."

Julie laughed.

After a few seconds of silence, Julie proceeded, "I remember before when you - 'Watch Boy' - jumped in front of me to save me from that Squid-Monster. You are a hero..."

"Thanks," Ben said. " _But_ ... there's always a 'but' after a line like this..."

Julie bit her lip. "You're a hero, Ben, and it seems like you love being a hero. I'm a normal girl, and I love being a normal girl. I don't know if we're compatible. Your job will always have to come first, I get that. And, I'm sorry for being selfish, but I'm looking for a boyfriend who can put _me_ first. I don't know if things would work out between us."

 _"Well, I just got rejected... again."_ Ben thought, sighing.

"I'm sorry, Ben." Julie gave him a kiss on the cheek, "You're amazing. I hope you find someone."

* * *

A few minutes later, Ben's parents arrived. Max had called them and told a small part of the story - that the restaurant where Ben was had been attacked by an alien, and that Ben was taken to the S.E.C.T. base to give a report of the situation, since he was a trainee there.

His mother Sandra covered his cheeks with kisses, and his father Carl hugged him so tight that his lungs were almost out of breath.

"Mom, Dad, stop it," Ben said, a little embarrassed. "I'm fine."

At least he had avoided being grounded for a long time. He could not imagine what excuse he would give or what his parents would think if he had gotten home after 1 a.m.

* * *

The following day, Gwen went to visit Ben while his parents were at work. Both sat on his bed, and he told her everything that actually happened.

"So ... you and Julie ... are no longer together," Gwen said, and Ben could swear she sounded a little _happy_ about it.

"We didn't even get together in the first place, to tell you the truth," Ben replied. "I was going to say that I really tried, like I promised you, and I was sad that Julie didn't want anything to do with me, but... you seem to be _pleased_ with that."

The redhead was taken aback with Ben's statement. Then she took a deep breath. "When it was over eleven p.m. and you had not gotten home yet, your parents called me. They wanted to see if I could reach you or Julie. At first, I thought the same thing they were thinking ... That you two were... you know... "

"Fighting an evil alien?" Ben asked, arching his eyebrow and smirking.

"Of course not. Everyone thought you and Julie were _playing doctor_ ," Gwen said, folding her arms. And then she closed her eyes and sighed. "I _cried_ , Ben... I know we can't be together, we're cousins, and I thought I was prepared to let you go... But I'm _not_."

Ben took her hand in his, "You don't have to let me go."

Ben crashed his lips on hers. Gwen tried to resist the kiss at first, but soon she was kissing Ben back with just as much passion and urgency as he was kissing her. Their tongues began to wage war within their mouths.

Ben put his hands on her hips and pushed her so she would be laying on the bed. He laid on top of her without breaking the kiss. He felt like there were fireworks lighting up inside of him, and he had never felt that good before in his entire life.

Suddenly, the Omnitrix beeped in a single shriek and the two teenagers interrupted the kiss because of the sudden noise.

"What happened to the watch?" Gwen asked.

"Who cares? Let's go back to what we were doing," Ben tried to take Gwen's shirt off, but she grabbed his hand, stopping him.

"We're not going to be _playing doctor_ , Ben. And we've gone too far with that kiss already, we shouldn't have done it," she said with a serious face. "Besides, if there's anything wrong with the watch, we need to find out now."

Ben sighed in frustration. He got up from the bed and began dialing the Omnitrix, cycling through his aliens, just to make sure that nothing had happened. "See, everything is normal and ..."

. . .

 _Eleven_.

Ben noticed that there were eleven aliens instead of ten now.

"A new alien," Ben said, surprised. He immediately slammed the watch to check out the new alien form.

"You're wearing your normal clothes, Doofus, they will be torn apart. You had to-" Gwen started to say but was interrupted by a bright green light.

Now in his new alien form, the first thing Ben did was take a look at his body and... He was exactly the same. His normal clothes were also there, they didn't get the slightest bit of damage. He walked to the front of the mirror and checked. Nothing was different.

"I think this transformation failed," Ben said.

"It didn't fail, Ben." Gwen was grinning from ear to ear. "Look at your left wrist."

The Omnitrix was not there.

Ben immediately took off his shirt and looked in front of the mirror again. The Omnitrix symbol was on his chest now. He really had turned into an alien.

"Can't you feel anything different in me, Doofus?" Gwen asked, very excited.

"Hey, shouldn't I be asking you that, Dweeb? I'm the one who turned into an unknown alien," Ben said.

"Not unknown. I _know_ what alien you've turned into." Gwen giggled. "That's why I'm asking you this. Can't you feel anything different in me?"

Then he realized there really was something different about Gwen. Her looks hadn't changed, but at the same time Ben felt that his cousin was more _colorful_ ... more _alive_ … more _bright_... even more beautiful than before, if that was possible.

"You're right... You changed," Ben said, confused.

"I didn't change ... I was always like this, but you couldn't feel it before. _You_ changed." Gwen said, with a smile. "You can feel my magical aura now. You've turned into a Sorcerer, Ben."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you like Ultimate Albedo? And Ben's all-new alien?


	14. Witches' Tales

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pic  
> 1 - Verdona  
> 2 - Charmcaster  
> 3 - You will know who this one is at the end of the chapter :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

****

* * *

**Witches' Tales**

* * *

**Verdona**

* * *

**6 years ago.**

* * *

"Lily, I know you and I had our differences in the past. But I want to be close to my granddaughter, not only sporadically, but permanently, living here in Bellwood. It's going to be really good for me and Gwen," Verdona said.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Mom," Natalie said, folding her arms. "How am I going to explain to people that my mother seems to be the same age as me?"

"Don't worry, Lily dear," Verdona replied. "I don't like this idea, but I can use a spell to look a little bit older. Anyway, my stock of Waters of Youth is running out, so I'll start aging in real time pretty soon."

"What about your criminal activities?" Natalie continued, "You're wanted by S.E.C.T., and I don't want any of this-"

"I used spells to disguise my identity in the _small wrongdoings_ I've done in the past. As long as they don't suspect that we are witches, they will never connect me to these things. And I promise not to do anything illegal here in Bellwood," Verdona said with a smile.

Natalie took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. "Fine, Mom," she finally said. "Gwen will be back from school soon. She'll be happy with the news."

* * *

Verdona flipped through Gwen's diary on the table.

_"Dear Diary, I cried A LOT when Grandma Mary died. Almost as much as Grandpa Max. When Ben saw me crying, he hugged me tight and I felt a little better. Ben is a big doofus, but he's also cute sometimes and I really like him - not that I'll EVER tell him that."_

Verdona felt a little bad for not being there to comfort her granddaughter during that hard time. Gwen no longer had her paternal grandmother, but from now on she would have her maternal grandmother close by.

There were other things in Gwen's bedroom as well. A laptop. A schedule board - _studying, karate, dancing_. A stuffed cat. And one thing that left Verdona perplexed: a bottle of iron supplements.

"GRANDMA!" The smiling little girl with red-orange hair threw herself into Verdona's arms.

"Hey, Gwenny!" Verdona hugged her back.

"You came for my 10th birthday party, Grandma?" Gwen asked cheerfully.

"Of course! And before I forget, I brought you a gift!" Verdona took from her purse a beautiful small rounded stone full of inscriptions in an ancient language. "This is the Charm of Luck. Touch it and you will be a very lucky girl."

Gwen held the amulet in her hands, her eyes glittering with happiness. "It's so beautiful, Grandma! Is it for me?"

"I promise that when you're older, I'll give it to you, but for now it's safer with me." Verdona put the amulet back in her purse with gloved hands, so Gwen would keep the luck. "Just don't tell your mom."

"Ok, Grandma." Gwen giggled. "How long are you staying in town?"

"I hope permanently, my dear." Verdona smiled. "I'll try to buy a house here in Bellwood."

"Awesome!" Gwen cheered.

"I have to ask you something, Gwenny. What is this doing here?" Verdona grabbed the iron supplement bottle.

"Oh, Mommy said I need a lot of iron. I take it every day," Gwen said in a naive tone.

Verdona felt a strong anger boiling inside of her, something she couldn't hold. She took Gwen by the hand and descended the stairs with her, "Come on, Gwenny, we need to talk to your mother _now_."

Verdona threw the bottle of iron supplements at Natalie. "What does this mean?"

"This means I want my daughter to be a normal child!" Natalie replied, also enraged.

"She _is_ normal! A normal sorceress, just like you and me! Not telling people about it is one thing, repressing the true nature of your own daughter is another!" Verdona replied.

Then Verdona turned to Gwen, "Honey, if you stop taking these iron supplements, your magic will manifest. Look at this... _Lux_." Verdona opened her hands and pink bubbles of light popped up in the air.

"SO COOL!" Gwen said, very excited.

"These powers will not bring anything good to my daughter." Natalie stared at her mother in anger, "Do you remember when I was her age? A girl hit me at school, and in a burst of anger I accidentally put her in the hospital! We had to leave the city!"

"That accident did not make me want to repress your powers!" Verdona replied.

"But you should have! Unlike you, I don't want my daughter having to move from one place to another, much less having people calling her a freak! And you have no right to interfere in the way I raise my daughter!"

"I'm your mother. I have the right to correct you whenever you are wrong!" Verdona snapped.

"You are a criminal! You have no right to correct anyone! And I want you away from my family, out of this city! If I see you here, I swear I will tell S.E.C.T. everything and they'll arrest you!" Natalie snapped too.

Verdona left town. But not without first - in secret - leaving Gwen with her phone number, so that if Gwen ever wanted to know more about her heritage, she could talk to her.

* * *

Verdona was in front of an old mansion, in a quiet street. The perfect place to find a witch. And that's exactly what she would do. Verdona knocked on the door.

A pretty woman with long straight black hair and very dark blue eyes, looking about 30 years old - of course Verdona knew she was _much_ older than that - opened the door. She and Verdona looked alike, but Verdona's hair was red and curly.

"Verdy, it's great to see you again, big sis!" The woman pulled Verdona into a hug.

"Sunny, little sis, it's always a pleasure to be with you!" Verdona returned the hug.

Then, sitting at the table, they continued to talk. "So, how are you?" Sunny asked.

"Not good, to be honest. I went to Bellwood, but I ended up fighting with my daughter again. It was pretty ugly this time. She threatened to hand me over to S.E.C.T. if I go back there." Verdona let out a sad sigh.

"I'm sorry, sis," Sunny said, putting her hand on top of hers. "But I have good news that will cheer you up."

Sunny got up from the table and came back a few moments later with a glass of water. "Come on, drink," she said.

Verdona noticed a different taste in that water ... it was _magic_ ... _magic of youth_.

"How did you get more water from the Fountain of Youth?" Verdona asked in surprise. "My waters are almost gone."

"I _created_ more water," the younger sister responded with a mischievous grin.

"It's impossible," Verdona said skeptically. "You need many powerful sorcerers together to create a Fountain of Youth. You can't possibly do it alone."

"I discovered an old book with a spell teaching _another way_ to create some Youth Water." Sunny took a book from the bookshelf and handed it to Verdona. "Of course we will not teach this spell to anyone. We can get very, very rich creating and selling these waters to some millionaire humans, Verdy."

Verdona read the spell in question, and felt a lump in her throat and a pain in her chest ... "Little sister, this is a blood magic ritual ... one of the things for the spell to work is burning a person's still-beating heart."

"Can you believe it's that easy?" Sunny replied with a smile. "I get to a bar, it doesn't take long for someone to approach me. We talk a little, I bring them here and I get the job done. Always in a different bar, of course, so the police won't find me. No risks. "

"That's ... evil," Verdona said, still shocked.

"Come on, sis." Sunny rolled her eyes, "I'm only taking a few years from some humans, and passing them to me. Don't humans kill and eat cattle and chicken? Superior species kill inferior species all the time. We are superior to humans, and, besides, they hate us!"

"Yes, we are superior to them, but our planet has been devastated, and now we are guests in their world. We mingle in their midst, some of us even marry them ..." Verdona remembered her daughter Natalie who married a human, Frank Tennyson. "Stealing here and there, as we have done in the past, is one thing, but we have no right to kill them! You need to stop."

"I will _not_ stop," Sunny said angrily. "If you don't want to help me, fine. I really wanted us to be partners, as a family. But it looks like you and your daughter are not very different. She married a human, and you're defending these people that hate us. You two are denying your family."

Verdona left. And with a heavy heart, she gave an anonymous tip to S.E.C.T. about her sister's whereabouts. Sunny was arrested that same week.

* * *

_Knock-knock_

Verdona was not expecting visitors. Especially not so late at night.

_Knock-knock_

The witch got up from the bed, dressed in her robe, and went to the door. She felt behind the door a magical aura of a Sorcerer very powerful... and _evil_. One she was already very familiar with. Verdona tried to come up with a fight strategy.

_Knock-knock_

She would probably die, but maybe she still had a chance to take her enemy with her. There was no reason to keep living anyway. She had no family. Her sister was in prison because of her. Her daughter didn't want to see her anymore, and forbade her from seeing her granddaughter.

_Knock-knock_

Verdona opened the door.

" _Hex_ ," she said, her voice filled with fury. Hex had a black and white tattoo that resembled a skull covering his entire face, and he was holding a wooden staff with a bird like head on top. It was the Staff of Ages, a powerful mystical weapon forged a millennia ago in Anodyne.

Verdona's hands glowed pink, a spell ready on the tip of her tongue. But then she noticed that in front of Hex was a child. A little girl about twelve years old, with silver hair and purple-pinkish eyes. Verdona aborted the attack, in fear of hurting the girl.

"Verdona, beautiful as always." Hex smiled. His smile was always creepy.

"How did you find me?" Verdona said with anger.

"I searched for you a lot," Hex said, in a cold tone. "I need your help."

"My help? You're a self-serving lunatic terrorist," Verdona said harshly. "I'll never help you."

"You loved me ... once," Hex said calmly.

"Many years ago when I was young and foolish, and I didn't know who you really were. And it was the biggest mistake of my life." Verdona folded her arms.

Hex ignored Verdona's comments. "This is my niece, Charmcaster. I have enemies coming after me, and important things to do, and I can't take a child with me. I want to entrust her to your care."

Verdona grunted. "And you think I'm not going to tell her the horrible person you are?"

"I'm not worried about that. My niece will _always_ be loyal to me, no matter what you do," Hex said, in a tone _too_ confident. Verdona felt a chill in her spine. Did that bastard use some kind of spell to brainwash his own niece?

"Do you accept her or not?" Hex asked.

"Why me?" Verdona asked back, arching her eyebrow.

"Because there is no one else I can count on," Hex said, and Verdona knew that was true. It was not surprising that a sociopath like Hex had no friends.

Verdona sighed. "I'll take care of the girl. Not for you, but because it's the right thing to do."

Maybe it was because it was the right thing to do. Or maybe it was because Verdona now had no sister, no daughter and no granddaughter. She was completely alone. Perhaps being the Aunt of that silver-haired little girl, and working to take her out of the influence of her evil uncle could bring back to Verdona's life the two things she had lost: family and purpose.

"Thank you." Then Hex bent down and turned his face toward the girl, "Charmcaster, you're staying with Aunt Verdona for now. It's safer that way."

"But I want to help you, Uncle Hex," The girl protested.

"You will. One day. I promise you," Hex said. "Now don't disobey me. Aunt Verdona will take good care of you."

Hex flew away.

Charmcaster looked at Verdona hesitantly and concerned. She clung tightly to a strange bag - the bag had a zipper that looked like a mouth, and a button and a stitched 'X' that looked like two eyes - as if that bag could protect her.

"What's your name, my dear?" Verdona asked in a gentle voice, trying to calm her down.

"C-Charmcaster," the girl replied.

"What's your _real_ name, sweetie?" Verdona asked, smiling.

"Hope."

"Nice to meet you, Hope. You can call me Aunt Verdona. Come on in," Verdona gestured, still smiling. "Are you hungry? I'll make you a snack. "

The next day, Verdona left that house and that city.

* * *

**A few weeks ago.**

* * *

" _Camera Oblitera_!" Gwen recited the spell, and a blue glow immediately engulfed a video camera positioned on the table.

Verdona checked the camera, and saw that it was still physically intact, but had stopped filming.

"Excellent, my dear!" Verdona smiled. "If you want to train this spell turning off the cameras of a jewelry store to _borrow_ some jewels, I won't tell anyone." Verdona winked.

Her granddaughter rolled her eyes.

"Now I have to tell you something," Verdona said. "I have another apprentice I'd like you to meet. It's best that you keep your identity a secret from her for a while, so use the spell to change your appearance."

"Cool! A new friend," Gwen said excited.

Verdona left, and a few minutes later she came back accompanied by an 18-year-old girl with long silver hair in a low ponytail, wearing a magenta coat and long purple boots.

"WHAT?" Lucky Girl was shocked. "Grandma Verdona, that's Charmcaster! She is a criminal, a known associate of the terrorist sorcerer Hex! I can't believe you're training her!"

Charmcaster was equally shocked. "Aunt Verdona, that's Lucky Girl! She works for S.E.C.T! I can't believe you're training her! "

The two girls stared down at each other, in a fighting stance.

"Calm down, calm down, girls." Verdona stepped between them, separating the two.

"Lucky Girl," Verdona said, addressing her granddaughter, "You know that in the past, S.E.C.T. forced Sorcerers and other aliens to register and work for them. Those who refused were arbitrarily imprisoned."

Lucky Girl lowered her head in shame. "Grandma, I'm sorry ... I need to protect my cousin ..."

"I know the current Director is _not_ doing this. And I know you're only there to protect your cousin Watch Boy, and that you would never help to arrest innocents," Verdona said, placing a hand on Lucky Girl's shoulder.

"Hope," Verdona said, addressing her niece now, "You know Hex is a terrorist. He killed many innocents, humans and Sorcerers alike."

Hope lowered her head, also ashamed. "I know, Auntie... But he's my uncle, my family, I can't-"

"But I know Hex's influence over you is strong, maybe even magical, and yet you've never killed an innocent person, not even at his request. I believe in your kindness," Verdona said, putting her hand on Hope's shoulder.

The two girls relaxed their fighting posture, but they were still staring at each other in distrust.

"We are all family, I want you to be like sisters to each other, okay?" Verdona said, and then she let out a sad sigh, remembering how the relationship between her and her own sister Sunny deteriorated.

* * *

**Sunny**

* * *

**Present day**

* * *

Now that she had managed to escape from prison, Sunny had returned to her old plans. Produce Waters of Youth and sell it to millionaires. Of course, she wanted revenge on her older sister too, but Verdona was very well hidden. She had abandoned all the hiding places Sunny knew.

The car pulled up in front of the mansion on a street on the outskirts of Grimsborough, somewhere far away from the center. Perfect for doing what she needed to do. The man in the driver's seat grinned like an idiot. "Is that your house?"

"Yes," Sunny replied, faking a naive smile. "But before we come in, I have to ask you a question ... Would you give me your heart?"

"Babe, of course I would!" The idiot replied.

Sunny smiled a dark grin.

* * *

The man was on the living room floor, his mouth, arms, and legs tied up with ropes.

Sunny, with a machete in her hand, grinned. "Didn't you promise to give me your heart?" The man stared at her with pure horror and despair in his eyes.

Suddenly, the front door opened, and a strange being, unlike anything Sunny had ever seen before, entered. A gray creature with three red eyes and about sixteen inches, most of it just head. He was floating over a small hovercraft.

"ANTONIO!" Sunny shouted, "Take care of our unexpected visitor."

Antonio was a big and furry gray ogre with pointed ears. He was one of the prisoners who escaped along with Sunny from S.E.C.T.'s prison, and he was dumb enough to want a kiss from her. It was repulsive to kiss that disgusting creature, but it was worth it: she put him under the effect of a love spell. It would come in handy to have a big, strong and loyal protector like him in case of any problem. Like now.

"Antonio loves Sunny! Antonio fights for love!" Antonio shouted and charged against the big-headed intruder.

'Big-Head' protected himself with some kind of telekinetic shield, and struck back at Antonio with a powerful energy ray from his third eye. Antonio let out a growl of pain.

"Please tell your partner to stop attacking me, for his own sake," Big-Head said. "My name is Albedo, and I came here because I heard you were a powerful witch. I want to ask you to work for me."

Sunny gestured for Antonio to stop. "Okay Albedo, but I don't do charity. How much are you willing to pay me?" She folded her arms.

"The payment will be absolute power," Albedo replied with a sinister grin.

"Go on," Sunny arched an eyebrow, curiously.

"I'm a Galvan. But I don't look much like one now because I'm evolved, I'm at the peak of what my species can reach. I can evolve you too, "Albedo said. He threw some kind of bracelet to her.

When Sunny put the bracelet on, it flashed red and Sunny felt the mana - her mystical energy - multiplying through her body, _becoming_ her body. Instinctively she 'took off' her own skin as one takes off their clothes, and she was now a dark-purple energy being, no longer a biological being of flesh and blood. Her hair turned into long 'tentacles' of pink mana.

"I feel like I'm made of magic now," Sunny said, smiling. She would not even need Youth Waters anymore, she felt in that new form she would not age at all.

"You've become an evolved Sorceress," Albedo said. "And I will let you _stay_ like this, _if_ you agree to help me."

"I'll do anything," Sunny said. That power was something she had never experienced before, and she was not going to give it up.

Sunny noticed that the man she had captured before was trying to escape, and knocked him down using her new hair like a whip. "But first, let me just finish killing this guy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- I'm sorry for the Ben-less chapter folks. But next chapter we will have Ben, Gwen and CC training with Verdona.
> 
> \- For many reasons (that I can explain over PM if anyone is interested), my version of Sunny ended up a lot different from UAF Sunny - and a lot darker as well. But I still tried to preserve some elements from UAF Sunny.
> 
> \- About Anodites in my fic:
> 
> In the original Ben 10 show (OS), there were humans who could do magic - like Hex, Charmcaster and Gwen. In UAF, they introduced a magic-based alien species, the Anodites. The Anodites were immortal energy-beings that simply 'wore' a human skin like a garment. UAF also retconned Gwen into an Anodite.
> 
> For my fic I wanted to implement humans with magical powers. But to explain why some humans can do magic while others can't, I decided that that magic-users would have alien DNA - a magical gene. I would make them "aliens", but they would actually be the equivalent to the humans with magical powers from the OS (I tried to explain that back on chapter 3). Before, I had the terrible idea to name them "Anodites" as a nod to UAF, which obviously confused a lot of readers. From now on, I'm changing that. I introduced the evolved Sorcerers that are actually the equivalent to the UAF Anodites - and they will be called Anodites - while normal Sorcerers will be called by other name eventually - it will be explained within the story.


	15. What Magic Does To Us, part I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a more 'intense' scene in this chapter, sorry about that.

**What Magic Does To Us, part I**

* * *

**Gwen**

* * *

Gwen felt the wind blowing past her as Ben - or, more precisely, XLR8 - ran through Bellwood carrying her in his arms. A few minutes later, the duo arrived at the woods in the outer limits of town. Right after, the Omnitrix timed-out and Ben turned human again.

"That was … freaking fast," Gwen said, resting her hands on her belly, a little queasy but smiling. She had liked that. It was almost the same feeling of being on a roller coaster.

"Yeah, as cool as a ride on a roller coaster, right?" Ben asked. Gwen just giggled, it was not uncommon for the two cousins to think the same thing at the same time.

The teenagers sat down on the grass to rest. Gwen would teach Ben how to use his new Sorcerer alien, but Ben needed a break for the Omnitrix to recharge, and Gwen needed a few moments to recover from the 'ride'.

"You know, while we wait, I have an idea of a _thing_ that we can do," Ben said, with a mischievous smirk, leaning towards her.

"Ben," Gwen said sternly, pushing Ben away so he didn't get _too_ close. "We really need to talk about this _thing_. We can't just ... you know. "

Ben sighed in disappointment. "Come on, Dweeb. Are you still going to insist on that stupid idea that we need to find other people? Because... it's a stupid idea. "

"No, you're actually right for once, Doofus. That was not a good idea. This time, I have a plan ... for us," she said hesitantly.

Ben raised an eyebrow. "Keep going, keep going ..."

"We can't be together _now_. Our family, our friends at school ... people would _not_ accept that. They would push us away. But in one and a half years we will turn 18. We won't have to worry about school anymore, and we will have a job plus higher education as agents in training of S.E.C.T. Then we can be together. We will be old enough and we will have money enough to live on our own wherever we want," Gwen said. "Our parents will be furious for a while, but ... either they accept us, or they won't see us again. If you're really onboard with this, you have to be prepared for both possibilities."

"Okay, I'm in," Ben said. In typical Ben fashion, he didn't even think before answering. "We're going to hide our relationship until we turn 18."

"That's not what I said," Gwen replied. "We're not going to date until we're 18. If we do, our parents will find out and things will get out of control. "

"Aren't you the 'Lucky Girl'?" Ben grinned. "Of course no one will find out."

"I'm not pushing my luck," Gwen said with a stern face. "I don't want to risk everything doing something stupid. I really want things to work between us, and that's the best way. I know it's asking a lot, Ben, so I won't ask you anything. If you meet someone else in the meantime, I'll accept that. I won't like it, but I'll try to be happy for you. You don't have to 'wait for me'. "

"You know I'm a disaster with girls. I'm more worried about you meeting someone else," Ben said in a sad whisper.

Gwen took a deep breath. Ben was thinking that the reason she wanted them to be just cousins for now was because she did not like him that much. He couldn't be more wrong.

Despite not being blind to his flaws, Gwen always saw Ben as a fine young man. If Ben was any other boy that she had liked before, she would have come to him and said something silly like, "Why haven't you asked me out yet?" and they would've started dating a long time ago. But with any other boy, there was no problem doing things any which way because if the relationship didn't work, she could just move on. But she would never be able to move on from Ben. So she had to do it right, she had to do it the smart way. Because what she felt for Ben she had never felt for anyone before.

She had accepted _it_ some time ago, but she didn't want to say it now, because she didn't want to pressure Ben. But she felt she had to say.

Gwen took his hand in hers ... "I love you." A single tear fell from her eye.

Ben was speechless. He was really surprised. He was about to open his mouth to answer her, but Gwen put her hand over his mouth, stopping him. She knew what he was about to say.

"Don't say it. I don't want you to say it just because I said it. I just want you to know how I feel. It's okay. It's okay," she said.

Gwen knew he _didn't_ love her. Not the way she loved him. She knew Ben felt for her the same thing he felt for Kai Green and other pretty girls that he crushed on in the past: an infatuation. It could turn into love one day, but it wasn't that yet. Of course, Ben also had a special affection for her as his cousin, but it wasn't the same either.

"If I tell you, you'll be mad at me." Ben sighed.

"Yeah, because I don't want you to lie to me or to yourself," Gwen said. "The Omnitrix is green again. You can turn into the alien now." She changed the subject.

Ben slammed the watch. He still looked the same, but this time his clothes changed. Now he was wearing leather boots and a belt, light-green rustic clothes, and a dark-green robe. And, of course, Gwen could feel a magical aura emanating from him now.

"Dweeb, meet _Magus Viridis_ , the Green Wizard! Ta-Da!" Ben said, doing a pose. "I'm Ben the Green - like Gandalf the Grey, and Radagast the Brown, and ... you get from where I based my name and looks. I thought about adding a hat too, but it was going to be impractical in a fight. It has the Ben Tennyson version and the Watch Boy version, with red eyes and white hair."

Gwen took out of her pocket a purple and gold pocket sized book - the spell-book Grandma Verdona had given her - and began to look for an easy spell for Ben's first lesson.

"Wait, Gwen, I want to show you something that I learned by myself," Ben said.

"Sure, go ahead, coz." Gwen closed the book.

Ben lit his finger in a green light - his magic was green-colored - and began to draw in the air. He was drawing a heart. Half of a heart, more precisely.

Gwen smiled. "That's ... very sweet, Ben." She lit her own finger in a blue light, and completed the other half of the heart with her magic. But in the end their fingers touched and Gwen felt a spark of magic run through her body.

From Ben's reaction, he felt the same. She saw his eyes flashing for a second in a greenish-blue color - a mixture between the colors of their magic. Their fingers seemed to be glued together.

It felt good, and they instinctively held each other's hands instead of trying to pull away. Both hands.

"That's ... incredible," Ben said. "Did it happen to you before with someone else?"

"Never ..." Gwen said. "It looks like our auras are connecting..." She was surprised too.

The more physical contact with each other, the better the feeling. Instinctively, the two embraced. She could feel Ben's magic flowing through her body. But the fabric of their clothes... was getting in the way.

The two pulled apart for a second. It was a horrible feeling to break physical contact with him. She _needed_ Ben's magic. Ben took off his robe and shirt. And she, not thinking about what she was doing, took off her blue blouse - and her bra.

Gwen hugged Ben tight. Her hands ran down Ben's back - she _had_ to feel his skin, touch him - and he was doing the same. She kissed his shoulder. And then his face. It was as if she were trying to absorb his magic through his skin.

Ben threw himself on the grass with her, and began to kiss her body. He kissed her lips, then her chin, then her neck, then… he kept going down. Gwen ran her hands through his hair as he kissed her body.

The two of them locked eyes. She knew what was about to happen and she wanted it to happen. Ben started to take off his pants, but suddenly Gwen had a moment of clarity.

"Ben, no." she pushed him gently, and crawled away, panting heavily. "We can't."

"Please, I _need_ you ..." Ben begged, desperate.

"I'm feeling the same way. It's our magic, it's intoxicating us... We have to resist it ..." Gwen quickly put on her bra and blouse again. It was almost impossible to resist, but she had to be strong.

"Let me at least touch you again... please," Ben said as if he were in physical pain, reaching for her.

"Ben, if we touch again, I don't know if we will be able to stop." But she didn't move to avoid Ben's touch. She didn't want to move. She wanted him to touch her, she wanted him to kiss her, and she wanted them to make love. But she knew that shouldn't happen. Not _now_.

Ben got up and ran into the forest. A part of Gwen let out a deeply relieved sigh, while another part of her was extremely disappointed.

A few minutes later, Ben came back, with the Omnitrix on his wrist. He was human again. And he was blushing hard. Her face was just as red as his.

* * *

Obviously, Gwen realized that it was better not to be alone with Magus to prevent another 'accident' like that from happening. She decided to take him to train with Grandma Verdona. Gwen didn't want this at first because both Verdona and her other apprentice - Charmcaster - were criminals, and if Ben were to train with them, he would technically be their accomplice, and Gwen did not want to make things complicated for him. But if she didn't do it that way, things would get a _lot_ more complicated.

At Verdona's house door, Gwen spoke to Ben, "Cuz, just to let you know, there's another person who trains with my Grandma. It's Charmcaster..."

"Charmcaster ?!" Ben asked in surprise. "This girl is wanted by S.E.C.T., she is an ally of that terrorist Sorcerer, Hex. We should arrest her! "

"I know, I know, but I trust Grandma Verdona, and Grandma Verdona trusts her, so we're trying to redeem her," Gwen explained.

They entered the house, and waited in the living room, until Verdona came and hugged Gwen.

"Hi, Grandma. I brought my cousin to train with us. He can turn into a Sorcerer as well." Gwen said. "Show her, Ben."

Ben dialed his watch and turned into Magus Viridis.

"I can definitely feel the magical aura emanating from him ..." Verdona said, eyeing Ben curiously, "Did you touch him, Gwen?"

Gwen blushed immediately. Verdona realized that this was a yes. "Did you two... ?" She asked with her arms folded.

"NO!" Gwen shouted. "But we got close to that ..." she whispered.

"You two obviously have repressed feelings for each other. Of course, your magical auras will react to that. Imagine something like teenage hormones, but ten times stronger," Verdona explained. And then she turned to Ben, "Stretch out your arm, please."

It was a strange request, but he complied. In a quick move, Verdona poked him with a needle.

"Ouch!" Ben complained.

Verdona rubbed her finger on the wound, to get a drop of Ben's blood, and recited a spell, " _Genus revelatio_!" She closed her eyes for a moment.

"He is a pure Sorcerer, he has the full pair of the magical gene!" Verdona said, surprised. "At least if anything happens between you two, do it while he is like that, to make sure that my great-grandchildren will be Sorcerers," Verdona said smiling.

"Grandma!" Gwen said, blushing.

"Before, I just tolerated the fact that you liked him as human, Gwen. But now that he can be like us, I actually approve. But I also have to warn you, boy... " Verdona said, now looking at Ben with a very unfriendly face. "My granddaughter loves you a lot, probably way more than you deserve, considering that you are just a boy with a huge ego. If you do anything to hurt her, I'll _kill_ you."

"Grandma, don't talk to Ben like that!" Gwen said.

"That's funny, you know," Ben replied, "I was going to say the same thing to you, witch. My cousin loves you a lot, probably way more than you deserve, considering that you're a criminal. If you ever do anything to hurt her, I'll _kill_ you."

"Stop that, both of you!" Gwen said, while Ben and Verdona stared down each other. She pushed them apart.

"Your grandmother can't say anything about me," Ben complained, "You told me she's protecting Charmcaster, someone who should be in jail."

"I should be in jail?" A pretty silver-haired girl was watching everything from a bedroom door with her arms folded. "Are you sure about that?" She winked at Ben.

Ben's jaw dropped. He began to stutter. "Er... N-no, I-I'm sorry, I think I'm m-misjudging you..."

Gwen punched Ben's arm. "Ouch, that hurts!"

Charmcaster approached Ben and put her hands on the back of his neck, staring at him with a seductive smile. "Actually, I think you're right about me... I'm a bad girl..."

"I-I'm sure you have a g-good h-heart d-deep down." Ben said, nervous.

"I'm _very_ bad," Charmcaster whispered into Ben's ear.

Gwen folded her arms and looked at Charmcaster with a frown. "I know you're hitting on Ben just to get under my skin, CC. Stop it."

"What? You've told me before that he's not your boyfriend ... I'm single, he's single, why can't I get to know him better?" Charmcaster said with a smirk.

"And you told me before that your ex-boyfriend was a psychopath. Ben is not your type," Gwen replied dryly.

"If he's an 'ex' it's because it didn't work out, right? I want a good boy now… And this one is very cute." Charmcaster gave Ben a kiss on the cheek.

Gwen was already tired of that and shoved CC away from Ben.

"What's wrong with you?" Charmcaster asked angrily, lighting her hands in a magenta tone.

"Girls, girls…" Verdona rested her hand on her chin, and looked at the teenage trio a little surprised, "I don't want to see my niece and my granddaughter fighting over a man. Solve this situation peacefully. I'm going to set up our training room." Verdona then left the living room.

"That's embarrassing," Ben said. And then he completely changed the subject. "CC, if you're Verdona's niece, then you're my cousin's cousin from her mother's side?"

"CC and I are 'honorary' cousins." Gwen replied quickly. "My grandmother is CC's 'honorary' aunt, which would technically make her cousin to my mother and me. But we're not blood related."

"No, we are blood related," Charmcaster said, "Aunt Verdona had a thing with my Uncle Hex back in the day. I'll give you half a chance to guess who's Gwen's mom's daddy is."

Gwen was infuriated now. "You can be proud of being related to a terrorist all you want, but I can assure you that your dear uncle Hex is NOT my grandfather! Grandma Verdona already said that, and you know she would be furious if you implied it in front of her!"

"Truce, truce." Charmcaster raised her hands up in a surrender gesture.

And then she whispered in Ben's ear, "If you want to annoy our common cousin, tell her that Hex is her grandfather. Always works."

"I heard that!" Gwen shouted.

"What did you hear?" Verdona came back at that moment.

"Nothing, nothing." Charmcaster giggled a little nervous. "Let's start the training?"

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Do you think I should use Green Wizard or Magus Viridis to refer to Ben’s Sorcerer form?
> 
> * Did you like the rivarly between CC and Gwen? What do you think that will happen between Ben, Gwen and CC?
> 
> * Do you actually think Gwen’s mom is Hex’s daughter?
> 
> * Who do you think CC’s ex-boyfriend is? He is a very important character, and he will show up later in this arc...


	16. What Magic Does To Us, part II

**What Magic Does To Us, Part II**

* * *

**Gwen**

* * *

The training room was very big, about 32 feet long. Magus Viridis was at one end, while at the other end there was an apple placed on top of a stool.

" _Accio_!" Magus shouted, his arm stretched out towards the apple. His hand flashed in a green light, and the apple flew through the air to him until he was able to catch it.

Before Gwen could congratulate Ben on his successful spell, Charmcaster anticipated this and cheered him on first. "Way to go, Ben!" She kissed the palm of her hand and blew Magus a kiss.

Gwen rolled her eyes. Charmcaster was always looking for a way to tease her. The infamous insinuation that Gwen's mother was Hex's daughter had been her main "weapon" until now, but, since she had discovered that Gwen liked Ben, hitting on Ben had become the new hobby of the silver-haired witch. The best Gwen could do was ignore her, and expect CC to get bored with the joke after seeing that Gwen wasn't caring about it.

"Thanks, CC…" Magus blushed a deep red and smiled sheepishly. Ben was such an attention hog, he always loved to have people noticing him - especially when said people were attractive young women, like Charmcaster. Gwen was definitely burning with jealousy even though she tried her best not to show it.

The Omnitrix timed-out and Sorcerer Ben became Human Ben again, so the training had to be interrupted.

Ben approached the two teenage witches. "We have to figure out a way to make Magus Viridis my new default form!" he said excitedly.

"Of course that wouldn't be possible, but would you really want to permanently change your own species, Doofus?" Gwen asked, arching her eyebrow.

"Why not, Dweeb? Magic is awesome!" Ben said. "No one would notice the change, not even my parents, since Magus Viridis and normal Ben have the same physical appearance and everything else. The only difference is that Magus has a pair of magical genes that normal Ben doesn't! Only pros, no cons."

"One 'con' for you to think about: We couldn't even hug each other without getting _intoxicated_ with magic," Gwen said.

"Ah, but ... er ... this is only a problem because, as your grandmother said, we are both _repressing_ certain things ... This is... _solvable_ … if we just… you know… " Ben said sheepishly.

"You don't need to repress anything with me, Ben. Come here and give me a hug, handsome," Charmcaster said, taking a step toward Ben. Gwen quickly stretched out her arm in front of CC, making a barrier between her and Ben.

"Let's make a deal, CC. You can hit on Ben all you want, but no hugging and no kissing, okay?" Although Gwen was trying not to show jealousy, there were _limits_. She definitely wouldn't let CC rub herself all over Ben.

Suddenly, a purple portal appeared out of thin air in the middle of the room.

There was a very strong mystical energy coming from that portal, an aura with which Gwen was not familiar with. But Grandma Verdona apparently was. "Everyone, behind me!" Verdona said. "And change your looks!"

Gwen casted the ' _Transfigura Apparentia_ ' spell that made her turn into Lucky Girl. Ben used his device to turn into Watch Boy. Charmcaster was the exception, as Charmcaster she used her real appearance and when she wanted to do something normal she used a spell to disguise herself, so she did nothing.

From the portal came a big gray ogre and a woman that Gwen could only describe as a version of Lucky Girl in her late-twenties. Long black hair, violet eyes, and even her face looked like Lucky Girl's and Gwen's face.

"Verdy, my dear sister, how long…" The woman said with a grim smile. "Oh, I liked that girl's look." She stared at Lucky Girl. "Is it a tribute to me? I'm flattered that you replaced me with someone else after sending me to jail. "

Gwen remembered that the first time she had changed her appearance, it was actually Verdona herself who had casted the spell. Had she done it based on her sister's looks? And the facial similarities made a lot of sense considering that this woman was Gwen's great-aunt.

"Sunny," Verdona said apprehensively. Sunny's magical aura was even stronger than Verdona's, in a way that didn't even seem natural. "You want revenge, I know. But these kids have nothing to do with it. Let's keep things between the two of us, okay?"

"Oh, actually, Verdy, your presence here is just a coincidence. I came here tracking the energy signature of that white-haired boy's watch." Sunny pointed in Watch Boy's direction. "I have a partner who is very interested in this so-called Omnitrix..."

"This ogre with you?" Ben asked confused.

"Oh, no, this is Antonio, he's more of a minion than a partner." Sunny chuckled. "I'm talking about another guy..."

From inside the portal came a gray big-headed alien with three red eyes flying over a small hovercraft.

"Albedo!" Watch Boy shouted.

"What ugly thing is that?" Charmcaster asked in surprise.

"He's a Galvan, but the _ultimate_ version of a Galvan," Ben said, "You have to go out more with us, CC. You'll get used to seeing a bunch of ugly things out there. "

"I'm not really interested in seeing 'ugly things out there' but I still accept the invitation to go out with you," Charmcaster said.

"Watch Boy is NOT asking you out!" Lucky Girl intervened.

"I liked the name... _ultimate_. That's exactly what I am." Albedo smiled.

"What _we_ are," Sunny corrected him. And then she took off her own skin and turned into a purple energy being with long pink mana 'tentacles' replacing her hair. That was why Sunny's magical aura was so powerful. That was definitely not natural.

"Surrender now _or else_ ," Albedo said with an evil grin.

"Going hero!" Ben slammed his watch, and turned into Four Arms. He charged with everything he had towards them, but when he was just about to hit Albedo and Sunny, Antonio threw himself at him.

"Antonio loves Sunny!" The ogre punched Four Arms, "Antonio protects Sunny!"

"Antonio will get his butt kicked!" Four Arms repaid him with a punch of his own. The two huge aliens engulfed in a brutal and violent struggle.

" _Petrus vita_!" Charmcaster shouted. She took many small magical pebbles from her bag and threw them at the floor. The pebbles turned into stone dog-like creatures that rushed to attack Albedo and Sunny.

Albedo destroyed one of the 'dogs' with an energy blast from his third eye, while Sunny destroyed another one with mana beams.

"Like we trained, girls, the three of us together against Sunny!" Verdona said.

" _Mercuta Verditis_!" Lucky Girl, Charmcaster and Verdona shouted together, and conjured a huge beam of blue, magenta, and pink mana and aimed it at Sunny. At the last second, Sunny conjured a mystical shield to defend herself from the attack. A combined triple attack like that would destroy any shield of a normal sorcerer in less than a second, but thanks to her evolved powers, Sunny's shield was taking the hit. But it wouldn't hold forever.

"It's breaking! Keep going girls!" Verdona said, so the three of them remained focused on the attack.

But Albedo was able to get away from the stone 'dogs' and shot a blast from his third eye at Verdona.

"ARGH!" The veteran witch screamed in pain, shifting the focus of Lucky Girl and Charmcaster, which stopped the attack against Sunny.

Sunny took advantage of that and used her mana to gather the remains of some of Charmcaster's stone dogs that had already been destroyed. She put together a creature much bigger than the others, and under her full control.

"Crap!" Charmcaster said, as Sunny's new creature began destroying hers.

" _Segma Sofom_!" Lucky Girl shouted, using a spell to try to take control of Albedo's floating hovercraft. The evolved Galvan focused, using his mental powers to maintain control of his locomotion. He saw that the disruptive spell was coming from Lucky Girl and fired an energy blast from his third eye at her. Lucky Girl used her agility - the result of several years of karate - to dodge.

But unknowingly to Lucky Girl, Sunny also fired a blast of mana at her. Thankfully Charmcaster defended her by casting a magenta shield.

"Thank you!" Lucky Girl said.

"You owe me one!" Charmcaster replied with a smirk as she took from her bag a mana mini-bomb to throw at Sunny.

Sunny's stone creature ran toward Charmcaster, and would hit her, but Lucky Girl conjured a spell, " _Tornare Ventus_!" creating a small tornado that diverted the creature away from CC.

"I just paid my debt." Lucky Girl smiled back to Charmcaster.

But the two teenagers were suddenly immobilized by the telekinetic powers of Albedo. "I'm sick and tired of you," the big-headed alien said.

" _Ignis sphaera_!" Verdona shouted, throwing a fireball at Albedo. He screamed in pain, and released Lucky Girl and Charmcaster.

But soon afterwards Sunny wrapped Verdona's neck in her mana hair-tentacles. "I won't lie, breaking your neck is going to hurt you a lot more than it hurts me, Verdy."

"NO!" Lucky Girl shouted desperately.

Charmcaster put her hand inside her bag, but Sunny said, "Don't even think about it, child." She tightened her grip around Verdona's neck.

Four Arms, in an impressive display of strength, was able to lift Antonio and throw him at Sunny's stone creature, destroying the creature and getting the upperhand on the ogre. But when he saw that Verdona was at Sunny's mercy and could be killed at any moment, he didn't know what to do either.

"Don't ... mind ... me ... keep ... fighting ..." Verdona said, struggling to breathe.

"Nobody needs to get hurt," Albedo said. "Just give us what we want."

"You already tried to take the Omnitrix off me once and failed, Albedo. Quit it," Four Arms spoke.

"I have a backup plan." There was some kind of technological red gauntlet on Albedo's wrist. "Since I parted ways with Azmuth I've been working on a replica of the Omnitrix. But I still need your contribution to make it work."

Four Arms glanced at Lucky Girl, as if asking her what to do. She didn't want Albedo to get his own Omnitrix, of course, but she didn't want her grandmother getting killed either. With a heavy heart, she nodded for Four Arms to stand down.

Verdona kept several iron restraints at her house in case she had to use it against evil sorcerers. Antonio used Verdona's own iron chains to immobilize her. Sunny handed her sister to the ogre and said, "Crush her skull if anyone tries to save her."

The Omnitrix timed-out, turning Four Arms back into Watch Boy. Sunny and Albedo approached the teenager, and Sunny placed one hand on Watch Boy's Omnitrix and the other on Albedo's replica.

" _TRANSFERA POTENTIA_!" Sunny shouted, and a reddish green light momentarily blinded everyone in the room.

A few moments later, Lucky Girl saw Watch Boy lying on the floor unconscious, and standing next to him there was another Watch Boy - same red eyes, white hair, and identical face - only older, looking to be about 30 years old, and a lot stronger. She knew that this older Watch Boy was Albedo.

"No, no, no, no, no ..." Albedo whined, desperate. "I became a filthy human. This was not supposed to happen... "

Less than half an hour ago, Gwen was telling Ben that changing your own species was impossible, but Albedo had just done that. Even though he clearly wasn't pleased with it.

"You got your Ultimatrix, Albedo," Sunny said. "This is a win. We can solve this little problem later."

Albedo nodded in agreement, and dialed his gauntlet to temporarily turn back into his Ultimate Galvan form.

"The boy?" Albedo asked.

"I can still sense some life within him, but he's not well ... probably in a coma," Sunny replied.

"NO!" Lucky Girl shouted, immediately regretting the decision to comply with Albedo and Sunny. She rushed toward the villains to attack them, but Sunny easily restrained her inside a mana bubble. Charmcaster tried to help her, but the Ultimate Galvan quickly held the silver-haired witch using his telekinetic powers.

"What do you want to do with your sister and her two protégés?" Albedo asked.

"A quick death would be too merciful," Sunny grinned darkly. "I'm going to do with my sister the same thing she did to me. We give an anonymous call to S.E.C.T. and let them have them. Verdy has committed many crimes in the past using fake identities, but as soon as the authorities check her fingerprints on the system, they will find out. This silver-haired girl, Charmcaster, is notoriously in league with one of S.E.C.T.'s most wanted criminals, Hex. I don't know who the third one is, but surely my teenage look-alike will be arrested for being associated with the other two."

"Verdy," Sunny grinned at her sister, "I'm sure S.E.C.T will make you and your sidekicks a part of their secret 'Dark Squad' just like they did to me before. Just as a warning, the mortality rate among the squad is very high and all members are expendable. I hope you enjoy the experience."

Sunny, Albedo and Antonio restrained Lucky Girl and Charmcaster with iron chains together with Verdona. Then Sunny opened a portal and the three villains left.

"Ben..." Lucky Girl sobbed, looking at her fallen cousin.

"Don't worry, our boy is tough," Charmcaster said, trying to cheer her up. "You told me he's pulled through things like this before. I'm sure he'll be fine. "

"We'll help him," Verdona said confidently. "The three of us together, with a spell to restore his health."

"We can only help him if S.E.C.T. doesn't arrest us," Lucky Girl said. "Maybe they'll let us go. You two are just wanted for stealing some stuff here and there, right? You aren't wanted for murder or anything like that."

Both Charmcaster and Verdona remained silent.

"What?" Lucky Girl was taken aback. "Grandma, you said that killing is wrong- "

"I said that killing _innocent_ people is wrong, there's a big difference. I've killed a lot of people, Gwenny." Verdona said in a whisper.

"Me too," Charmcaster said.

"We're all screwed ..." Lucky Girl sighed.

"Not if we're lucky." Charmcaster smiled.

The three women tried to free themselves for several long minutes, but this time they were not lucky. Until they heard footsteps. Certainly, it was the agents of S.E.C.T. who had been tipped off by Albedo and Sunny to arrest them.

The agent who entered the room, however, was well known to Gwen.

"Ben!" Grandpa Max yelled, running towards Ben. "What did you do to him? WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!" He shouted at the three of them, enraged especially at Lucky Girl, probably thinking she had betrayed Ben.

"Grandpa Max, it wasn't us..." Lucky Girl said.

"Grandpa?" Max asked confused.

"It's me, Grandpa, Gwen." Lucky Girl revealed her identity. "And this is my maternal grandmother, Verdona."

"Hello, handsome," Verdona said. "Maybe you remember me. We met at our children's wedding and two or three times afterwards. I didn't age a day, I know. Please, _please_ , get us out of here and don't tell your friends about us."

Grandpa Max blushed when he recognized Verdona - Gwen couldn't understand why - but the older Tennyson was still confused as to whether or not to believe them. "Charmcaster," he said, voicing his obvious concern about the third member of the group.

"It's hard to explain, but she's on our side. Please, Grandpa, free us so we can help Ben. I need to save my baby cousin," Lucky Girl sobbed.

"Gwen!" Grandpa Max finally accepted that she wasn't trying to trick him and freed them. Immediately, Charmcaster and Lucky Girl ran towards Ben, while Verdona looked for a knife.

Verdona came back a few seconds later. "Okay, girls, today's lesson is going to be about blood magic. We're going to use some of our blood," she said, making a deep cut in her hand, and passing the knife to Charmcaster, who without hesitation did the same. Lucky Girl also repeated the procedure immediately.

The three of them laid their hands on Ben and repeated all the Latin words that Grandma Verdona spoke. A few moments later, Ben woke up suddenly, gasping for air.

"Baby cuz," Lucky Girl hugged him tightly and covered his cheeks with kisses. She only let go of the hug after almost a minute.

Soon after, Charmcaster hugged Ben too. "Stop scaring us, Ben. Our cousin almost worried herself to death over you... And even I was a little concerned too," CC said sheepishly and then planted a kiss on Ben's cheek.

Before, Charmcaster was throwing herself at Ben to annoy Gwen, but now Lucky Girl realized this was different. CC was being sincere. She cared for Ben too… Lucky Girl just hoped that whatever feelings CC had for Ben were purely platonic. But that was not the time to worry about this. Ben was recovering, that was all that mattered.

"Maybe I should get hurt more often..." Ben said, still weak, but also grinning from ear to ear, certainly happy with being kissed by both Gwen and Charmcaster.

"You get hurt often enough," Lucky Girl said, wrapping her attention hog cousin into another hug.

Verdona looked at Max. "So, handsome, can you keep our secret?"

"This is Agent Tennyson ..." Grandpa Max turned on his comms. "The anonymous call we received before was a hoax. There is no one at this address. You guys can go back to the base. I'll be there with you soon."

Then he turned off his comms and looked at Gwen. "We need to talk."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Albedo and Sunny are now essentially ultimate older versions of Watch Boy and Lucky Girl. Hope you liked it.


	17. What DNA can tell us, part I

**What DNA can tell us, part I**

* * *

**Max**

* * *

Charmcaster had been the first to leave. She clearly had a strong aversion to agents of S.E.C.T. and the feeling was mutual. The only reason Max had let her walk was because Verdona had convinced him that Charmcaster was - _slowly_ \- redeeming and distancing herself from Hex's influence.

Max, Verdona, Ben, and Gwen sat in the living room of Verdona's house for a talk.

"Why didn't you tell me anything, Gwen?" Max was disappointed, but not angry, and he didn't even know if he was disappointed with Gwen or with himself.

Max could understand why his sons Frank and Carl didn't share much about their lives with him. Max's relationship with them had never been that good. He let the job as an agent of S.E.C.T. take too much of his time and he had been an absentee father. This was possibly the greatest regret of his life.

But with his grandchildren, he tried to correct that mistake. He had always been a present grandfather - ironically, he ended up having to go back to his old job for Ben. And despite all the effort he made to be a good grandfather, his grandchildren still didn't trust him. That he couldn't understand. And it hurt a lot.

Gwen opened her mouth to reply, but Verdona answered first. "It was my fault, my dear," she said in a sweet voice, caressing his arm. "I asked Gwen to register herself with a fake name and not tell anyone anything."

"Grandpa," Ben interrupted the conversation, a little uncomfortable with the 'affection' Verdona was displaying to Max. "Did you and Gwen's Grandma date back in the day?"

Max and Verdona blushed. Ben and Gwen stared at them, waiting for an answer.

Max and Verdona had met at the wedding of Max's son Frank to Verdona's daughter Natalie. They felt something for each other, a very strong attraction, and ended up having two or three coffee dates after that as well. But before things went too far, Max decided not to see her again. He was a widower now, but back then he was married, and he loved his wife very much.

"No, we've always been just good friends," Verdona said.

"Back to the issue at hand," Max said awkwardly, "Why couldn't I know about Gwen being Lucky Girl?"

"It's not you who couldn't know about it, my dear, but S.E.C.T. as a whole. I've committed certain _wrongdoings_ in the past, and I didn't want them to associate Gwen with me," Verdona replied, very calm.

"You're not a wanted criminal. I'd know if you were." Max arched his eyebrow.

"Let's just say that the idea I gave Gwen of creating a fake identity is an old trick I used many times myself in the past to do things that weren't always legal." Verdona smirked.

"But the current Director is a mutant. He wouldn't do a literal witch hunt with the families of his agents. A thorough investigation on the life of an agent's grandmother is something that would _never_ happen."

"Can you blame me for not wanting to take the risk?" Verdona took a sip of tea.

"I can see that there's something you're not telling me, Verdona." Max folded his arms.

Verdona closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Gwenny, Benjamin, please give us the room for a moment. I need to discuss this privately with Mr. Tennyson. "

"No, no way!" Gwen protested. "No secrets."

"Gwendolyn, this is something private about my life that does not concern either of you. Please leave," Verdona said sternly.

Unwillingly, the teenagers left the room.

"What is it?" Max asked.

"I was afraid they would find out about her grandfather. Her _other_ grandfather, I mean, not you." Verdona said nervously.

"Who is her other grandfather?" Max asked.

"Hex."

"Oh, my ..." Max's eyes widened.

"I had no idea if any agent who knows Hex well enough would be suspicious. If someone from S.E.C.T were to connect the dots, they would make an association between Lucky Girl and Hex, not between Gwen Tennyson and Hex. My granddaughter would not have had her personal life affected by it. I was trying to protect her," Verdona said. "Although I wasn't lying when I said that I have committed a few small wrongdoings in the past under fake identities." The witch confessed sheepishly.

Max would hate to see people comparing his sweet and kind granddaughter to a terrorist monster. He also would hate to see Gwen doubting herself over some stupid genes. The only grandfather Gwen ever had in her life was Max, and if it was up to him, it would remain that way forever.

"I don't want my granddaughter to carry this weight on her shoulders either. I give you my word that no one will know this from me, not even Gwen herself," Max said.

"Well, well, Maxie my dear, although you don't like people to keep secrets from you, you're very quick to agree to keep secrets from others." Verdona smirked. "Don't worry, I'm not criticizing you. To be honest, I'm exactly the same. The reason I actually told you everything is because I want to count on your help to make sure none of your buddies from S.E.C.T. find out about this."

* * *

A few minutes later, Max was brought up to speed on the problems involving Albedo and Sunny.

"Is there any way that we can find them?" Ben asked. "Sunny was able to track me down using the energy signature from my watch, now that Albedo has a similar device to the Omnitrix, we can do the same to find him, right?"

"That's a great idea," Verdona said, after thinking about it for a little while. "The energy signature from your Omnitrix and his Ultimatrix should be quite similar. I can use your Omnitrix as a reference to look for him."

"But you're not going to fight them again, kids," Max intervened. "Let's find out where they are, yes, and then I'll find a way to pass this information on to S.E.C.T without involving Gwen's grandmother. Albedo and Sunny are too dangerous for you."

"Albedo has a copy of my Omnitrix, Grandpa! Stopping him is my responsibility!" Ben protested.

"You almost died a few hours ago trying to fight them, Ben," Max said firmly.

"Exactly, I have to make them pay for what they did to me, and-"

Gwen grabbed Ben's arm. "Grandpa is right, Doofus. You almost died once. Let someone else handle it now."

Gwen began to brush her fingers on Ben's arm, affectionately caressing him. A few seconds later, the two of them looked at Max wide-eyed, as if they had forgotten that he was there before. Ben quickly drew his arm from Gwen's hands.

"S-stop wiping your d-dirty hands on my arm, Dweeb," Ben complained nervously.

"A-at least you're useful as a n-napkin, Doofus," Gwen said, also nervous.

Their faces were red with embarrassment.

Max chuckled. "Kids, you don't have to pretend to hate each other in front of me. I like when you two get along."

For some reason unknown to Max, Verdona laughed.

* * *

**Ben**

* * *

**Verdona's house, the next day.**

Ben knocked on the door and waited. A few seconds later, he was greeted by his cousin.

"Ben, what are you doing here? You should be resting, cuz," Gwen said.

"The magic that you, your grandma and CC used on me was great. I'm as good as new," Ben answered, then entered the house.

Gwen leaned in to greet him with a kiss on the cheek, but he _accidentally_ turned his face so her lips met his in a quick peck.

"Ben," Gwen said with a frown, "You know we shouldn't do _this_. Not until we are adults and can live on our own without interference from our parents. Yesterday, I was too 'affectionate' with you in front of Grandpa and almost screwed up everything. You know we can't take risks."

"But Grandpa is not here now." Ben grinned. "We can trade a few kisses." He made a pout.

"No, Ben, I'll stress this again, we're _not_ dating, _we're just good cousins_. When we're eighteen, we can have this conversation again."

Charmcaster appeared in the living room. "Hi, Ben." She winked at him.

"On second thought, a few kisses won't hurt anyone." Gwen gave him a combo of pecks on the lips. Of course Ben enjoyed it.

"EWWW," Charmcaster said, "GROSS! Stop doing this in front of me you two."

Gwen, with a wicked grin on her face, looked at the silver-haired witch. Charmcaster was upset. She was... jealous?

"Wait," Ben said suspiciously, "Are you using me to make CC jealous?"

"No! Maybe ... Yes." Gwen admitted sheepishly. "Sorry. It was wrong to use you that way."

"No, no, no," Ben said, "I don't care. You can use me any way you want. Of course I can't be unfair, so, _since we're not dating_ , if CC also wants to use me to make you jealous, I'll have to accept and- OUCH!" Gwen stomped on Ben's feet.

"Kids, please, behave. " Verdona descended the stairs.

"I need to talk to you, Verdona," Ben said. "Grandpa Max told me that right now S.E.C.T is doing a mission to capture Albedo and Sunny. I want to be there too."

"Benjamin, I don't know if that's a good idea," Verdona said worried.

"Please," Ben said. "I don't want anyone else to get hurt because of Albedo. I need to stop him."

"If you go, I'll go with you," Gwen said.

"I ... I can't." Charmcaster apologized. "They will arrest me if I show up. Sorry."

"Even if I didn't have my own problems with S.E.C.T., I wouldn't be able to help in the fight." Verdona said. "Albedo and Sunny are on the other side of the country, if I create a portal for you to get there, I'll be too weak to help more. You're going to be on your own. "

"Don't worry. I'll be ready for Albedo this time," Ben said.

* * *

**Albedo**

* * *

**Sunny's mansion. A few hours earlier.**

That cloudy and rainy morning, Albedo woke up hoping things had magically returned to normal. But, of course, his idea of using magic to get the Ultimatrix had caused the problem in the first place, and everything was still the same.

It was agonizing to be stuck in that filthy form. He was a human now. Yes, an ultimate human, strong, agile and intelligent, but still a human. And, worse than that, contaminated with Watch Boy's DNA. He looked at himself in the mirror, and that human looked back at him.

Albedo went to the kitchen and saw a plate of chili fries. That smell... He couldn't resist and tasted one. And then he couldn't stop until he emptied the plate. "Crap, what's happening to me?"

Sunny appeared soon after. "Oh ... the chili fries were mine ... But it's okay, I can make more," she said, shrugging.

The moment she turned her back on him to open the fridge, Albedo's eyes immediately found her buttocks. Since he had become human he was feeling a stupid attraction to the sorceress. Sunny turned around and caught him staring at her red-handed. Albedo looked away, blushing.

"You're a naughty one, aren't you?" Sunny smirked, "You were staring at my-"

"Don't o-overestimate y-yourself, s-sorceress." Albedo tried to keep his air of superiority, but he was stuttering. He hated this new body. "Y-You may be considered attractive by the standards of humans and sorcerers, but I'm still a Galvan."

"Really?" Sunny hugged him from behind, "What if I want to discuss with you ... battle strategies in private?" She whispered in his ear seductively. "I'll be in my bedroom waiting for you."

Sunny left the kitchen, and for a few seconds Albedo didn't move, wondering what to do. It was extremely disgusting for him to consider the possibility of mating with an Anodite. But at the same time, he was increasingly distracted by Sunny's presence and could no longer concentrate on how to fix the problem with the Ultimatrix. Maybe it would be best to _solve_ this situation first.

Albedo went to Sunny's bedroom and found the ogre Antonio guarding the door.

"Antonio won't leave you alone with Antonio's girlfriend," He said angrily.

"Antonio, let him in," Sunny said, from inside the room. "And go put together a puzzle while Albedo and I talk in private."

Antonio obeyed immediately. Sunny's control over Antonio was really impressive.

"The puzzle will keep him busy for loooong hours." Sunny smiled mischievously as Albedo entered the room. "If you're wondering, I could tell him the truth, he would still obey me. But I don't want to be mean. Now, come here, babe." Sunny gestured for him to join her in bed.

"This DNA is so screwed up..." Albedo said before laying down on the bed beside her.

"It's the excuse all men give." And then she kissed him.

Albedo felt something else in that kiss - a powerful mystical energy entering his body. She was trying to bewitch him. After the kiss Sunny smiled - a grim smile. "Are you ready to obey all the wishes of your master, my servant?"

"Of course," Albedo said. He grabbed her neck and began to apply pressure to strangle her. "If you wish to die, I'm ready to comply."

"S-stop ..." Sunny whispered, losing air.

"Do you really think I wouldn't have taken precautions against your spells, witch?" Albedo whispered angrily. He positioned himself on top of her, his hands still applying pressure on her neck, "Do you think I'm stupid like your pet ogre?"

"P-please ..." Sunny said, and her face was already beginning to pale.

He finally released her.

"Who is the master and who is the servant now?" Albedo asked.

"You are the master. I am your servant," Sunny said, gasping for air.

"Let me tell you a little secret," Albedo said, now he was the one who had a sinister grin on his face, "The bracelet I gave you to evolve has also inserted nanites inside your body. If anything happens to me, or if I get mad at you enough, you die. Do you understand me?"

"Yes." Sunny replied obediently.

Albedo got up from the bed when Sunny grabbed him by the arm.

"Wait. I'm sorry," Sunny said. "Is there any way that I can make it up to you, my master?" She asked in a flirting tone.

Albedo knew that this was just another way for Sunny to try to manipulate him, even without using magic. But he still went back to bed.

 _"This DNA is so screwed up!"_ Albedo thought as he kissed Sunny, burning with desire for the beautiful sorceress.

* * *

"Wow, you really are _ultimate_ ," Sunny said, caressing Albedo's chest. They were curled up on the bed.

Albedo had no idea what he had just done, but he knew he liked it very much.

"Crap ... I can feel that there are people approaching this house," she said. With her evolved abilities, she could detect the proximity of other beings, even those without magical auras.

Sunny took off her skin and transformed into her energy form. Albedo started dialing his Ultimatrix.

He turned into a silicon-based alien made of crystal. His body was purple, with several dark lines and spots. His hands and face were magenta, and he had six magenta shards on his back, two on his chest, and one on the top of his head resembling a horn. His face consisted of a mouth and one large red eye at the center.

This alien was the ultimate form of a Petrosapien, which Albedo had named Chromastone. Naming the aliens was kind of ridiculous, but for some reason Albedo was doing it anyway.

Sunny called Antonio, and the trio went to the living room to wait for the intruders.

The door was knocked down by a tall and strong young man with long black hair. Alongside him there were a Yeti, a Tetramand, a Werewolf, a Vampire, and some kind of humanoid porcupine.

"Under the authority of S.E.C.T., you are under arrest." The long-haired young man said.

Sunny chuckled. "Please, Albedo, let me introduce you to some of my old friends from the Dark Squad, S.E.C.T.'s black ops team of convicted criminals who do the dirty work on extremely dangerous missions," she said, and began identifying each member of the Squad.

"Lazo, the Yeti ..."

"Gorvan, the Tetramand ..."

"Travis, the Werewolf ..."

"Desmond, the Vampire ..."

"Argit, the porcupine..."

"And last, but not least, Kevin, the energy-sponge mutant."

"They have no choice but to fight us, so we're going to have to kill them all," Sunny said, with an evil grin.

"It won't be hard to do," Chromastone replied, also with a sinister grin of his own.

Lazo was actually a Gimlinopithecus - a Yeti-like species with electric powers. He rushed toward Chromastone and grabbed him in a bear hug, and electrocuted him with a strong charge.

"Thank you very much for that, ignoramus beast." Chromastone smiled. "You didn't know that your leader is not the only one around here who can absorb energy, right? I can do that too and the best part is how I redirect it." He was able to put his hands on the Yeti's head, and released a very powerful ultra-violet burst.

A few seconds later, Lazo - with his head melted - fell to the floor lifeless.

" _Monstra Instinctus_!" Sunny shouted and pointed her hands at the Vampire and the Werewolf. The two of them were surrounded by purple light and began to stare at each other with pure hatred in their eyes.

"Vampires and Werewolves, natural enemies." Sunny smiled. "Just make their natural instincts arise and they will kill each other and leave the rest of us alone."

Desmond and Travis ignored everything around them and began to fight against each other.

Meanwhile, Antonio faced the Tetramand Gorvan. Unlike Four Arms, who was strong and very tall, Gorvan was shorter and out of shape, so Antonio had a clear advantage against this Tetramand. The ogre managed to grab one of his opponent's arms and break it. Then he violently kicked Gorvan's knee, which surely would at least give him a limp for a while.

Chromastone and Sunny felt thorny quills being thrown at them. But Chromastone's crystal skin and Sunny's energy body were not affected by it. They turned their eyes to the culprit, the porcupine Argit.

Argit let out a nervous chuckle, "Take it easy on me, Sunny. You know I'd run away from here if I could. But if I do, my bosses will blow off my head. Literally."

"Nothing personal, Argit, but you have to go too," Sunny said.

Sunny and Chromastone pointed their hands in the direction of Argit, ready to fire a double blast at the porcupine, when suddenly Sunny let out a piercing scream of pain.

"I have to confess, Sunny," Kevin said, his eyes glowing as he absorbed the mystical energy of the Anodite. "I really like this new form of yours! Lots of energy for me to feed on!"

Chromastone punched Kevin away from his partner.

"Look around, you idiot," Chromastone said. "Your team lost." The only one who could still offer Kevin any help at that point would be Argit, but it was obvious that the porcupine was too cowardly to try to interfere with the fight.

Kevin let out an insane laugh, his eyes and hands glowed with the same purple glow as Sunny, "I DON'T NEED THEM! I AM KEVIN FREAKING ELEVEN, AND I CAN DESTROY AN ENTIRE ARMY SINGLE-HANDED!"

Antonio had already defeated Gorvan, and Sunny, though somewhat weakened, was ready for the fight as well. Kevin would have to face three opponents. Despite his arrogance, Chromastone was sure the young man would die.

Suddenly, a hot pink portal appeared in the middle of the room, and from inside it came Watch Boy - as Diamondhead - and Lucky Girl.

"It's time for round two, Albedo!" Diamondhead shouted.


	18. What DNA can tell us, part II

**What DNA can tell us, part II**

* * *

**Ben**

* * *

**A few minutes ago, Verdona's house.**

"Gwen, you don't have to go," Ben said, very worried. Yes, he wanted to confront Albedo, but he didn't want Gwen to risk herself by coming with him.

Gwen cupped his face in her hands, and began to gently rub her fingers on his cheeks. Her touch was so soft and gentle ... "I will not abandon you, Doofus. Not now, not ever," Gwen said in a sweet but firm voice. "If you don't want me to go, fine, but you won't go either. We can go to my house, watch Netflix, eat popcorn, and leave Albedo and Sunny for S.E.C.T. to take care of. It's your decision, baby cuz."

Now it was he who was almost giving up the idea of going to fight Albedo and Sunny. Spending some time with that gorgeous green-eyed redhead alone at her house - since her parents were at work - seemed so much better than facing supervillains...

"I-I ... I th-think..." And then he realized it. "Hey! You're doing it on purpose! You're flirting with me so I give up on fighting!" Ben took a step back.

Gwen giggled. "I'm just trying to keep you safe, cuz. You almost died yesterday. I really think you should sit this one out. I was just using my feminine charms in my favor," She said with a mischievous smirk.

"You know, I think Charmcaster and Verdona are terrible influences on you." Ben looked at the two other witches.

"If you want to go, that's fine, but I'm your partner and I'll be there watching your back." Gwen was very determined.

Ben knew that this discussion was going nowhere, and whoever S.E.C.T. had sent to face Albedo's team could be in trouble, the sooner he got there, the better.

"Okay, okay, Dweeb. We will do this together." Ben slammed the Omnitrix and turned into Diamondhead. He would need a very powerful alien to face Albedo.

Gwen used her spell to change her appearance and dress in her Lucky Girl costume, while Verdona conjured the portal.

Diamondhead took a quick glance around after crossing the portal. That place used to be a mansion back in the day, but now, it had turned into a war zone.

There was a fat Tetramand lying on the floor, moaning in pain. There was a dead Yeti with his head melted. Some kind of humanoid porcupine was curled under a table, clearly hiding from the fight. There was a Werewolf biting a man's arm, and swinging him around like a ragdoll. Ben's first instinct was to help the man, but he soon realized that his skin was too pale, his ears too pointy, and his canine teeth too sharp. The man was a vampire. So Ben decided not to get involved in that.

Then he saw who he was looking for. Sunny, in her evolved energy form, the huge ogre Antonio and an alien that resembled Diamondhead, but magenta-colored and not as bulky. This alien certainly was Albedo. The trio was cornering a young man who probably wasn't much older than Ben. "I DON'T NEED THEM!" The boy shouted, "I AM KEVIN FREAKING ELEVEN, AND I CAN DESTROY AN ENTIRE ARMY SINGLE-HANDED!" Despite his confidence, Ben knew that 'Kevin' guy would need help.

"It's time for round two, Albedo!" Diamondhead shouted, drawing Albedo's attention to himself.

Diamondhead noticed a smile on the evolved alien's face. Albedo _flew_ in his direction. " _Freak. This evolved Diamondhead can fly."_

"How fitting it is that you are using the alien form of a Petrosapien, child," the villain laughed, "meet Chromastone, the ultimate Petrosapien."

Diamondhead was nervous. Very nervous. But he had a plan. He tried to appear confident. "Ultimate? Don't make me laugh. Your device is broken. This alien is nothing but an anorexic Diamondhead."

Chromastone stretched his arm in Diamondhead's direction. His hands lit up in a rainbow colored light, firing a powerful blast. Diamondhead barely managed to create a crystal shield to defend himself against the attack. But pissing off Albedo was part of the plan.

Lucky Girl looked at him in concern, but Diamondhead nodded at her in an "it's all under control" way, trying to look far more confident than he really was. After all, he didn't want to appear afraid in front of his opponent nor in front of the girl he liked.

* * *

**Kevin**

* * *

Kevin was sure he could take on those three alone. He had been through worse. Even so, he wouldn't complain about the unexpected and sudden help from a Petrosapien and a girl.

The Petrosapien caught the attention of Albedo and began to fight with him. The girl ran toward Sunny, Antonio and Kevin. Her hands flashed in a blue light. Kevin recognized her from the archives of S.E.C.T. She was a witch, and her codename was Lucky Girl. She was even _hotter_ in person.

"Lucky Girl," Sunny spoke, "last time I said that a quick death was too good for you and my sister, but since it seems that killing you is the only way to get you out of my way, that's what I'm going to do."

Kevin decided to help Lucky Girl with Sunny - obviously because helping her now would make it easy for him to sleep with her later. He charged in Sunny's direction, but before he could attack the witch he was punched away by Antonio.

"Antonio loves Sunny! Antonio will not let anyone hurt Sunny!" The ogre shouted.

Kevin spat blood. He was angry now. "If you love her so much, take some of her magic!" His hands glowed purple and he fired a blast of mana at the ogre.

Antonio grunted in pain, but didn't stop. Kevin now fired a continuous blast of mana at the ogre, but he still kept advancing toward him. Kevin intensified the blast, and Antonio's screams of pain increased, but it still wasn't enough to stop him. Antonio was able to kick Kevin's stomach, sending him flying towards a wall. Kevin vomited and spat even more blood, starting to feel groggy and in pain.

 _"Playtime is over,"_ Kevin thought.

Kevin hated his father. But one thing important he had learned from him. Devin always carried a piece of _steel_ in his pocket wherever he went, to make sure he could armor up himself at any moment, without depending on having to find some hard material nearby to absorb. Kevin had the same strategy, but in a better way of course. He carried in his pocket a small but highly radioactive stone, inside a protected box.

He took the stone out of the box and absorbed all of its radiation. "YEEEES!" He laughed maniacally as he felt the huge amount of energy flowing through his body. Kevin's hands lit up in radioactive fire. When the ogre charged at him again, Kevin jumped into the air and punched him in the face. Antonio staggered and Kevin delivered a sequence of radioactive-powered punches - miniature atomic bombs - at the ogre.

When the ogre was already groggy, a rain of quills hit him - courtesy of Argit - and Antonio finally fell to the ground unconscious.

"No need to thank me for the help, Kevin." Argit said, smirking. Of course, the cowardly porcupine only appeared when the fight was almost won.

Kevin ignored Argit and looked at the huge unconscious ogre, "I would kill you, big guy, but we're probably going to need new recruits in the Dark Squad... So welcome to the team," Kevin said with a sarcastic grin.

* * *

**Gwen**

* * *

Sunny, using telekinesis, started throwing various objects from the mansion at Lucky Girl. A lamp, a chair, a mirror. Lucky Girl avoided them using her agility and mana shields to protect herself when necessary.

Lucky Girl noticed that Sunny was exhausted. She seemed to be already weakened, probably from a previous fight against someone from S.E.C.T.'s team.

"I'm tired of playing cat and mouse, girl. I'll give you a fair chance," Sunny said. And then she threw a metal bracelet on the floor near Lucky Girl. "Let's fight like real women. This bracelet is what I used to evolve. Use it and fight me."

Lucky Girl grabbed the bracelet, but her instincts told her that something was wrong. Sunny didn't seem to be the kind of person who appreciated a fair fight... there had to be some trick in that. Lucky Girl put the bracelet on her belt, but she didn't use it.

"Thanks, but no thanks. You're already done for anyway. I bet you can't hold on much longer in a fight against me... _Mercuto Verditis_!" Lucky Girl fired her most powerful mana blast at Sunny, who tried to defend herself with a shield. But this time the shield was shattered and the blow fully hit Sunny. She fell to the floor, knocked out cold.

* * *

**Ben**

* * *

Running was not an option for Diamondhead, as Chromastone could easily catch him flying. Then Diamondhead had no choice but to try to protect himself, creating several crystal barriers around him, to prevent Chromastone's ultra-violet bursts from hitting him. But it wasn't enough.

Diamondhead was blasted away, broke the wall of the living room and crashed into one of the bedrooms.

"I liked this!" Chromastone grinned. "Let's do it again!" And then he fired another blast, while Diamondhead was still down, which made him break through the floor and fall into the mansion's basement.

Diamondhead tried to stand up, even though he was staggering. "Is this all that you got, Chromacrap?" He tried to provoke his opponent even more. Chromastone's hands flashed brightly with the colors of the rainbow, and he began punching Diamondhead mercilessly. Diamondhead tried to use his arms to defend himself, but he felt his crystaline skin melting and cracking at each new blow. And he tried to attack too, but with very little success. He wasn't going to last much longer.

Diamondhead fell to the ground again. Chromastone put a hand on Diamondhead's head and asked, "Any last words before I melt your head, you idiot?"

Then, at last, a sound of a loud beep was heard, coming from Chromastone. "No!" He shouted, but a second later, Albedo was back to his human form, a 30-year-old version of Watch Boy.

Diamondhead's plan to stall Albedo and make him waste all his energy until the Ultimatrix timed-out had worked, _barely_ , but worked.

Diamondhead quickly stood up and kneeled Albedo's stomach, and then applied a sleeper hold on him. "You have to learn something about these alien gadgets, they tend to time-out just when we need them the most, you idiot!" Diamondhead chuckled, and Albedo fell unconscious on the floor.

Shortly thereafter, the Omnitrix also timed-out, turning Diamondhead back into 'Watch Boy'. He climbed the basement's stairs and went back to the house. The minute he opened the door, the Werewolf jumped on him, barking something that sounded like "ALBEDO!". Watch Boy barely had time to put his arm in front of his face to defend himself from the bite. Soon after, a blue blast of mana shot the werewolf away from him.

"You bastard!" Lucky Girl shouted, ready to attack the Werewolf again. Kevin held her.

"Travis, you idiot, he isn't Albedo!" Kevin said to the Werewolf. And then he addressed Lucky Girl. "It wasn't intentional. Travis is just too stupid."

The Werewolf turned to Watch Boy with an apologetic look. "That witch Sunny messed with my head, and you look so much like Albedo ... But you just have to take the anti-lupine vaccine and you won't turn into a Werewolf."

"Better to take the anti-vampiric vaccine as well," the porcupine said, laughing as if the situation were funny, "Travis' mouth was already full of vampire blood when he bit you ..."

"Crap." Ben looked at his bitten arm.

"You can let go of me now." Lucky Girl said with a scowl to Kevin, who was still holding her.

"I'm fine here." Kevin whispered in her ear, pulling her even closer to him.

Even though Ben was feeling a huge pain in his arm from the bite, he was going to break that bastard in half. Before that could happen, though, Lucky Girl elbowed Kevin's stomach. "Don't touch me!" Lucky Girl said angrily.

"If you ever touch her again, I'll kill you!" Ben shouted to Kevin.

"I'd like to see you try, Watch Boy," Kevin said, walking in Ben's direction with a murderous intent in his eyes. Then he suddenly stopped. "No, I won't, sir. Don't worry, I was just kidding, " he said, talking to someone, probably through ear commns.

"Who are you guys?" Lucky Girl asked, "You're not wearing uniforms, and I don't remember seeing anything about you anywhere. But you all are clearly acting under orders from S.E.C.T... And you..." she said, looking at Kevin, "look a lot like Director Steel. Are you two related?"

Kevin scowled, the mention of Director Steel's name clearly displeased him. But shortly after, he exhibited that stupid smirk on his face again, "You asked about my team. This information is classified, but I can still tell you some things about myself on a date. And, by the way, you're as hot as my - also witch - ex-girlfriend, Charmcaster. Are you two related?"

Ben growled in anger. Lucky Girl folded her arms. "You're Charmcaster's psycho ex-boyfriend. She told me about you. You should be in jail."

"Come on, guys," Kevin smirked, "We defeated Albedo, Sunny and Antonio together. We can be a great team ... Me, my future girlfriend and my future best friend," Kevin looked at Ben's watch like a dog eyeing a piece of meat. Ben had the feeling that the 'future best friend' Kevin was referring to was the Omnitrix, not him. "What about we call ourselves ... the Alien Force?"

"If I were a complete idiot, I would accept this idea," Ben said.

Finally, more agents of S.E.C.T. arrived.

* * *

**Hours later, S.E.C.T. infirmary**

"How are you, partner?" Lucky Girl asked.

"Better." Watch Boy sat on the bed. "But still disappointed that I didn't get a chance to break Kevin in half. That s.o.b, hitting on you like that ..."

Lucky Girl folded her arms, "Now you know how I feel when Charmcaster is hitting on you ..."

Ben was going to say that the situation was different, but looking at Lucky Girl's unfriendly face, he chose not to start an argument about it.

A man entered the room. He was bald, had a goatee, and appeared to be in his early forties.

"Watch Boy, Lucky Girl, I'm Servantis. Thanks for the help on the apprehension of Albedo, Sunny and Antonio." He shook hands with the young heroes, "A few hours ago, you met members of our criminal rehab program, the Redemption Squad."

"Does Director Steel know Kevin is part of this Squad or even that it exists?" Lucky Girl folded her arms. Ben realized that his partner was just fishing. They were not really sure if there was any connection between Kevin and Steel. But she was assuming that, and using it to paint Servantis into a corner.

"Director Steel knows, yes. He doesn't like the idea, but Kevin himself volunteered. Anyway, I'm not subordinate to Steel. My orders come directly from the Global Security Council." Servantis smiled, very calmly.

"Never trust politicians." Ben mumbled under his breath. The Global Security Council was an international council formed of politicians from some of the world's most powerful countries to oversight and control S.E.C.T.

Lucky Girl arched her eyebrow. "Okay, so why don't you tell us more about how exactly this 'Redemption Squad' works?"

"I'm afraid this is classified information, young lady." Servantis was still smiling.

"You know what I think?" Lucky Girl said, "Putting villains to go on missions has a major potential to go terribly wrong, so this whole secrecy thing is for you and those Global Security Council jerks to use the principle of plausible deniability and save your own skins when shit happens."

"And do you know what I think?" Servantis replied, "That you are the last person who can criticize secrets, considering that you're friends with a wanted criminal like Charmcaster."

Lucky Girl was speechless. She had mentioned in front of the whole Dark Squad that Charmcaster had told her about Kevin. She shouldn't have done that.

"Let's make a deal: Take care of your own business and don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong," Servantis said, and then walked to the door. "Ah, before I leave, I have to give you two a warning. You were not allowed to get involved in the mission today, but I'm willing to be lenient about it. However, if you spread out details of what happened - including the presence of the Redemption Squad - you will be arrested for leaking confidential information. Have a nice day," he said, walking out the door.

"Son of a ..." Lucky Girl gritted her teeth. "Now I see that my grandmother has good reasons not to trust S.E.C.T."

"I hope we never see this guy again, nor his Squad. Especially Kevin," Watch Boy said, still enraged with the mutant who clearly had set his sights on Lucky Girl.

"How's your arm doing, cuz?" Lucky Girl asked.

"Great. It doesn't even look like I've been bitten." Ben stretched his arm. The teeth marks were no longer visible.

"Strange ... It _should_ look like it. The healing process shouldn't be so fast unless..."

"Don't worry, Dweeb. I took the anti-lupine and the anti-vampiric vaccines, there's no risk of me turning into anything," Ben said confidently.


	19. Put The Blame On Someone Else

****

**Put The Blame On Someone Else**

* * *

**Gwen**

* * *

Gwen woke up suddenly.

"Gwen." She heard a husky voice calling her name.

"AAAAAH," she screamed, but already charging a ball of mana in her hands to make sure that the intruder would forever regret the idea of coming to her bedroom.

"Wait, wait, Dweeb! It's me!" The intruder said. In the darkness, Gwen couldn't see things clearly, but as soon as the blue light of her mana illuminated the room, she could take a good look at the intruder.

He was wearing a black and green jumpsuit and a mask, but Gwen could recognize her cousin's green eyes. The mask also had a gap, showing Ben's mouth and lower face. She could see that Ben's skin was very pale and his mouth had sharp canine teeth. Speechless, Gwen realized that Ben had turned into a Vladat - that is, a vampire.

"Gwen? What's going on?" Gwen's father, Frank, knocked on the door. He'd probably woken up with the scream and was checking to see if everything was ok.

"Quick, Doofus, hide," Gwen whispered.

Ben turned into a bat and flew out through the window.

"Come in, Dad," Gwen said.

"Is everything alright, sweetie?" Frank was worried about her.

"Yeah, I just had a nightmare. I'm sorry I woke you up." Gwen gave him a half-hearted smile.

"No problem, Gwenny. If you need anything, just talk to me." Frank closed the door and left.

After a few minutes, the bat entered through the window again and changed back to his "human" form. Gwen cast a spell to make the room temporarily soundproof so she and Ben could talk more freely.

"What happened, Ben?"

"Iwokeupatnightfeelingweird-" he rushed the words, very nervous.

"Baby cuz, calm down." Gwen grabbed Ben's hand. "Sit here with me, and tell me everything, slowly."

"I don't want to get too close, Gwen. I'm a v-vampire, I'm d-dangerous," he said, startled.

She was very scared too - anyone would be afraid of vampires, but for Sorcerers it was much worse. The blood of a sorcerer was much more nutritive and desirable to vampires than the blood of an ordinary human. Vladats were the natural predators of Sorcerers.

But that wasn't any vampire, it was Ben.

"I'm not in danger with you, Ben," Gwen said, with confidence. She tugged on his arm and made him sit on the bed next to her.

She tried to remove his mask, but he grabbed her hand. "No, I don't want you to see me like this ..."

"Shhhh, calm down, Doofus." She removed the mask, and gently stroked his face to reassure him. "It's still you. Now, tell me what happened."

"I woke up at night feeling weird, I went to look in the mirror and I didn't see my reflection. I noticed that the Omnitrix was no longer on my wrist, so I thought it was a simple accidental transformation. The watch must have absorbed a sample of vampire DNA the moment I was bitten yesterday. I even came up with a cool name - Whampire. But then fifteen minutes passed, then half an hour, and I was still like this... I'm stuck in this alien form now ... So I-I just wanted to say goodbye to you b-before I leave," Ben said, his voice trembled.

"Leave?" Gwen asked.

"I know I can't keep myself in control much longer, and I don't want to put you or my parents in danger ... I'm leaving town," Ben said, "I want you to know, Gwen, I won't mind if you find someone else - just not Kevin, ok? You can do so much better than- "

Gwen interrupted him by pressing her lips on his in a chaste kiss. That kiss was meant to say, "I won't find someone else, I want you." Ben's lips - Whampire's lips - were cold, very cold, but in a nice way, like popsicles. She let her lips linger on his for a long moment, prolonging what was supposed to be just a quick peck.

"I'm not going to let you out of here until I convince you to give up on this stupid idea of 'leaving'." Gwen said after finally breaking the kiss. "We'll find a way to solve this problem soon."

"Gwen, I can't risk the life of my mom, or my dad, or yours. Especially yours," Ben said, breaking in a cold sweat, "Remember Magus Viridis? Remember how bad that transformation affects me when I'm around you? Now it's worse. Magus was your _equal_ , but Whampire is your _predator_. Since this time it's not affecting you too, you don't understand how difficult it is for me to control myself now. "

Ben stood up to leave and Gwen pulled him back, but her pull was too strong and the two ended up falling on the bed together, Ben on top of her, in an embarrassing position.

Whampire began to sniff her neck, "You're so sweet ..." He brushed his cold lips against her neck, and for a moment Gwen was afraid he wasn't exaggerating when he said it was hard to control his instincts and thought he was really going to bite her. Ben began to suck on her neck, indeed, but with kisses instead of bites. Gwen let out a moan.

Although Gwen was enjoying that moment, she knew it wasn't right. She gently pushed his head, to make him stop.

"You're flawless ..." he whispered.

" _Cousin_ ," She said, emphasizing the word, looking him straight in the eye, "You know we can't let this go too far, especially not here in my bedroom when my parents can-" It was getting harder and harder for Gwen to focus. Ben's eyes ... That green sea ... She could lose herself there. "Forget what I was saying. Kiss me, bite me, do whatever you want to do with me, my love."

Ben glanced away from her in shame. "Sorry, cuz. Vampires can hypnotize people by staring into their eyes for a long time. It wasn't my intention, of course, but I'm still learning to control these powers."

Gwen shook her head, 'waking up' from the accidental hypnotic trance induced by Ben. "I guess this proves that, vampire or not, you're still a decent guy." Gwen smiled at him. "Let's make a deal. Leave a note to your parents saying that you were called for some internship activity very early at S.E.C.T.'s HQ, and had to leave before they woke up. Go to my grandma's house and spend the night there. Tomorrow morning I'll go there too and we'll figure this out."

After the kisses, Ben was much more willing to not leave, but he still seemed a little hesitant about her idea. "Gwen, I'm the natural predator of Sorcerers. I don't know if it's a good idea to stay at Verdona's house. I could end up hurting her too. She probably wouldn't want me there as well."

"My grandmother is not in town and won't be back soon. But I have the key to her house."

Gwen quickly explained to Ben what had happened. Gwen had got Sunny's "evolutionary bracelet." She didn't give it to S.E.C.T., she preferred to take it to Grandma Verdona. Verdona was very excited, and said she had "great ideas" of what the wizard community could do with it. Gwen warned that there was probably some trap in the bracelet - since it had been created by Albedo - but Grandma Verdona said she had contacts, sorcerers who were engineers and scientists, who could analyze the object and remove any traps. She left Bellwood and Gwen didn't know when she would return.

Ben stole one last kiss on Gwen's neck before turning into a bat and flying out the window, carrying the house's keys on his paws.

* * *

In the following day, Gwen went to her grandma's house to see Ben, and heard the sounds of a conversation.

"So, Ben, if you're stuck as a vampire for a long time, don't worry. I have a list of people we can kill together. You can drain them down to their last drop of blood. It will definitely help to make the world a better place." It was Charmcaster's voice, in a relaxed and laidback tone.

Ben burst out laughing, "That was funny!"

"It's not a joke, Ben, I'm serious."

Gwen entered the room and saw Whampire and Charmcaster sitting on the couch. Gwen was furious - more with herself than with anyone else. She had completely forgot that Charmcaster was also at Verdona's house quite often. Gwen definitely didn't want Ben to spend any time alone with CC.

"Red, did you come to see your two favorite cousins?" Charmcaster asked, leaning closer to Whampire just to make Gwen even more jealous. "We're getting along very well."

"You're not my cousin, CC, and I'm not here to see you," Gwen replied dryly. And then she turned to Whampire, with her arms folded, "I thought you wanted to avoid being close to people - especially sorcerers - because of the thirst for blood thing. Why didn't you ask Charmcaster to leave?"

"Ah, I've solved this problem for now," Charmcaster said, and then added with a mischievous smile, "I let him suck a little bit of my blood. It was a deep bonding moment between the two of us, to tell the truth."

"WHAT?" Gwen asked furiously, lighting her hands in a blue glow of mana.

"That's NOT what happened, Gwen!" Whampire replied quickly. "She's only joking with you."

"You don't have to hurt poor Ben. It's touching that you're so worried about my well-being, cuz, but he's right, he didn't do anything to me." Charmcaster giggled.

Of course, Gwen's anger had nothing to do with Charmcaster's well-being.

"Ben is cute, but he knows that if he were to get out of control and attack me, I'd have no problem fighting back with everything I got. Unlike you, who would hold back against him. That's why he's more relaxed around me than with you, and didn't ask for me to leave." Charmcaster explained. "But you know, they say that a vampire who drinks a sorcerer's blood can do magic too for a while, maybe I can actually let him suck on my neck a little, just to see if-"

"DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!" Gwen snapped.

They heard a knock on the door.

"It must be Grandpa Max and Tomyx," Gwen said. "I told Grandpa what happened, Ben. We agreed that the guy who put the watch on your arm could help to solve the problem. "

"That's my cue to leave," Charmcaster said, "Ben, if you happen to get stuck in this form of vampire and Gwen doesn't want you anymore, it is not the end of the world. Just remember there's plenty of fish in the sea, ok?" CC gave Whampire a peck on the cheek.

"You. Really. Should. Go. Now," Gwen said to Charmcaster, burning with rage.

Charmcaster opened the pantry door and entered through what was a secret portal to another one of Verdona's houses in another state.

* * *

Tomyx was examining the small plate with the Omnitrix symbol on Whampire's waist. He was trying to twist it, press it, and do something that could turn Whampire back into Ben.

"Perhaps scanning two samples of different DNA at the exact same time has caused a temporary malfunction in the Omnitrix," the Vilgaxian teenager theorized.

"You know how to solve the problem, right?" Gwen asked. "When Ben met Albedo, he told him that Vilgax took off his Omnitrix with brute force and the Omnitrix almost broke. But when you gave it to Ben, it was fixed. You fixed it, right? "

"When I deserted, I stole the Omnitrix and took it to my mother, Myaxx. She fixed it. She definitely could solve this problem in a second," Tomyx replied. "I learned a few things from her, but she's a lot smarter than me."

"You're proud of your mom," Whampire said, surprised.

"She's an amazing person," Tomyx said, still wrestling with the Omnitrix plate.

"And how did she get involved with Vilgax?" Whampire asked.

"She was part of the Anti-Vilgax Resistance. She was captured. But she was very intelligent, and by the standards of my species, very beautiful too. Vilgax gave her a choice, she would be executed or she would help him and do whatever he wanted her to," Tomyx said, almost in a whisper. "She didn't want to die."

"I'm sorry," Whampire said. Gwen lowered her head in sadness.

Suddenly, the Omnitrix beeped and there was a bright green light. When Gwen looked again, in Whampire's place there was a large and muscular gray-furred werewolf.

He approached Gwen, and began to smell her, from head to toe. "Ben," She giggled nervously, trying to get him to see how embarrassing that situation was. Especially because Grandpa Max and Tomyx were there, but also because having a big wolf rubbing his muzzle on her skin was kind of weird.

Then he started to lick her face. "Ben, that's enough!" She shouted, stepping away from him and creating a mana shield between them.

"Is there anything you want to tell me, children?" Max said, looking a little bit uncomfortable with the scene.

"Yes, Ben goes completely nuts when he turns into an alien sometimes!" Gwen said, "And I'm gonna have to take at least five or six baths to kill all the germs this Mega-Doofus passed me. That's so disgusting!" Of course she was exaggerating a little, but she definitely would prefer a kiss from Magus Viridis or Whampire instead of a 'kiss' from Ben's Werewolf.

"Sorry, my bad," he said, finally coming to his senses. "This is all the fault of this ... Benwolf. I would never lick the Dweeb if I were my normal self, OBVIOUSLY."

Gwen noticed Grandpa arching his eyebrows. _"Crap, I think he's getting suspicious ..."_

"I'm starving!" Benwolf ran to the fridge and grabbed a pot full of chicken.

"I can toast the chicken for you-" Gwen offered, but Benwolf had already begun to eat, and in a few seconds he had eaten around two pounds of chicken.

"Delicious," Benwolf said, chewing what was left of the bones. "It's just an appetizer, of course."

"Ben, werewolves have a human form too," Grandpa Max said, "Maybe you can try it?"

Ben closed his eyes, focusing. At first, he managed to turn almost human. His face lost its lupine features and became much closer to Ben's normal face, his muzzle turned into a normal mouth, his tail disappeared and his size greatly diminished. But he was still furry, his ears still canine and his nails and teeth sharp.

"You're almost done, Ben. You're in an intermediate form between wolf and human. Keep going," Grandpa Max said.

After a few moments, Ben finally managed to turn human again. Of course, not actually human, but anyone who looked at him would see a normal Ben and not a Werewolf.

"It's better than before, but as long as I'm stuck like this, I can't be any alien other than Benwolf." Ben said, looking at the Omnitrix plate, still attached to his waist, indicating that he was still in an alien form.

"I'll keep trying to solve this," Tomyx said, when Gwen's cell phone started ringing. Not Gwen's cell phone actually, Lucky Girl's cell phone.

"This is Lucky Girl. Who's there?"

_"Lucky Girl? It's Kevin. I got your number from S.E.C.T."_

Ben began to growl, literally. Although he looked human, he was still Benwolf. His hearing was far better than that of humans, being able to clearly hear Kevin's voice on Lucky Girl's phone, and, of course, he was as aggressive as a wolf.

 _"Please don't hang up,"_ Kevin said, _"I just wanted to apologize. The Kevin you met before was Kevin Eleven, not me. I'm a good guy. I wish I could explain things to you in person, in any public place you want."_

"I'm not sure this is a good idea, Kevin..." Gwen began to say.

"Accept it," Ben said, "Of course I'll go with you. I want to have a little chat with Kevin too ..."

* * *

**In a café, an hour later.**

Watch Boy - actually, the human form of Benwolf - was impatient, "Where's Kevin? I can't wait for him to arrive…" He had a wicked grin on his face.

"I shouldn't have accepted that." Lucky Girl face palmed, disappointed with her own naivety, "You want to kill him."

"I'll confess! I thought about it, but he was clever choosing a public place with many witnesses. I can't kill him now," Ben said, looking from one side to the other. Lucky Girl was pretty sure Kevin mentioned a public place to let her know he didn't intend to harm her, not to protect himself from her partner.

"These wolf instincts will make you do something stupid. Let's go back to my grandmother's house and let Tomyx fix this." Lucky Girl stood up from the chair.

"Tomyx will still be there when we get back later," Ben said, "Hey, look, Kevin's coming."

"Hi, Lucky Girl." Kevin approached their table. "And ... Watch Boy." Kevin was clearly disappointed that Watch Boy had come along, too. "I didn't call you, Watch Boy because I suspected you won't believe what I have to say," Kevin said, sitting down, "But I want to apologize to you both."

"Funny how Servantis lets you walk around on the loose like this, Kevin ... I bet you two are big pals, you're his golden boy," Ben said.

"Do you know him?" Kevin asked in surprise, "I'm not loose. I'm being watched now just like I would be on a mission. And I don't like Servantis. He knows it, so I can say it even if he's watching me. But what I really need to say is..."

Kevin reached out to touch Lucky Girl's hand, but Ben said, "If you put your filthy hand on her, I swear I'll rip your heart out of your chest and eat it, right here, right now."

"Watch Boy!" Lucky Girl scolded him.

Kevin retracted his hands and straightened on the chair. He glanced at Watch Boy with pure hatred.

"Lucky Girl," he said turning to Lucky Girl and ignoring Watch Boy, "My name is Kevin Ethan Levin. My father is Devin Levin, aka Director Steel. I have certain problems with him because he wasn't present in my childhood, but this is not the point. I'm a mutant with the power to absorb matter and energy, but when I absorb a lot of energy, I go crazy, and turn into Kevin Eleven. You can see the difference, he has deep dark bags under his eyes. He's insane and dangerous, I'll admit it. But I'm not like that. If I had a choice, I would never absorb energy again, and I ... I just wanted you to know that." He seemed very sorry and sincere.

"Good story," Ben said. "You can do all the shit you want, and then you can just put the blame on your evil split personality. How convenient..."

"Kevin, I'm sorry, my friend here is a little _on edge_ today," Lucky Girl said, caressing Ben's arm to try to calm him down. "We are very sorry that you are going through these problems."

"Thank you very much, it means a lot to me. You ... I ... " Lucky Girl noticed the way Kevin was looking at her. It was the same way Ben looked at her, and the same way many other boys had looked at her before. Kevin liked her. "Where I work, I don't have many friends. I don't expect you to accept my offer, but if we could, you know, hang out more often, just to talk, just as friends, of course... "

Lucky Girl knew he didn't want to be just a friend. He was a handsome young man and he seemed to be a good person too - Kevin Levin, of course, not Kevin Eleven - but she would never leave Ben for anyone. She was thinking about how she could answer him, a gentle answer, but making it clear that there would never be anything between them.

Then Watch Boy began to speak, "Let me tell you something, Kevin Ethan Levin... I have a proposal for you too. You can forget that Lucky Girl exists, never talk to her again, never get close to her again and never think about her again. In return, I'll let you live. Or you can keep hitting on her, and I promise I'll kill you. Of course I don't expect you to accept my offer. Actually, I don't want you to accept it, because I want to kill you," Ben growled.

"That's enough, Watch Boy!" Lucky Girl got up from her chair, and pulled Ben with her, "Sorry, Kevin. Usually he's not like that. Let's go, Watch Boy."

* * *

**Later, at Verdona's house ...**

After tampering more with the Omnitrix plate on Benwolf's waist, Tomyx was finally able to get him back to normal.

"Thank you very much, Tomyx!" Ben hugged his Vilgaxian friend, "And now I have two new aliens on the watch!" Ben cycled through his aliens, noticing the silhouettes of Whampire and Benwolf there too.

Gwen hugged Ben, "I'm glad you're you again, cuz. That's my favorite Ben, human Ben!" She gave him a kiss on the cheek, and blushed hard after remembering that Grandpa Max was there too.

* * *

**Kevin**

* * *

**Somewhere else.**

"What's your opinion about Watch Boy?" Servantis asked.

"That piece of shit is a psychopath, a mad dog that needs to be put down!" Kevin replied angrily.

"And your answer has nothing to do with the fact that you both like the same girl?" Servantis smirked.

"No. It's a professional opinion," Kevin said, with his arms folded.

Servantis laughed. "Anyway, I agree with you. That's why I'm preparing his replacements." A man came through the door. It was Dr. Aloysius James Animo, one of the new recruits of the Dark Squad. Of course, not for field missions, but for the scientific team. "So, Doctor Animo, how's Project Amalgam going?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * In my fic, natural werewolves - werewolves by birth - can change from 'human' form to 'wolf' form any time they want. But hybrid werewolves - humans transformed into werewolves at some point in their lives - only change on full moon nights. The Omnitrix always turns Ben into a natural pure-blood specimen.
> 
> * Werewolves and Vampires are also natural enemies. Not like vampires and sorcerers, in a predator and prey relationship, but like two different apex predators disputing to see who is the strongest.


	20. Going Home, part I

**Going Home, part I**

* * *

**Ben**

* * *

"Crap! Lagrange is getting away!" Grandpa Max shouted. The Tennyson trio were in the Rust Bucket in pursuit of a wanted criminal named Lagrange. "His car is very fast, we're going to lose him..."

"Don't worry, Grandpa!" Watch Boy dialed the Omnitrix, "XLR8 is even faster!"

Lucky Girl grabbed his arm before he could slam the watch. "Yeah, but maybe XLR8 is not strong enough to stop a car, Doofus. Why don't you _upgrade_ the Rust Bucket instead?"

Ben's first impulse was to ignore her suggestion and to say that he had everything under control already, but instead he decided to listen to her. "This time you gave me a good idea, Dweeb." He gently rubbed his finger against her nose.

"Going hero!" Ben selected Upgrade, slammed the watch, and felt his body losing its consistency and turning into a black gelatinous form covered by green electric circuitry.

Upgrade merged with Grandpa Max's RV and a few seconds later they were close enough to Lagrange. Upgrade unmerged from the Rust Bucket, jumped into Lagrange's car, and hijacked it. "This race is over, Lagrange." Upgrade stopped the car and used the seat belt to restrain the criminal.

Max and Lucky Girl got out of the Rust Bucket and Max handcuffed Lagrange.

"This was cheating!" Lagrange shouted angrily. His eyes, behind the red sunglasses, were probably glancing with pure hatred at the hero. " _Va t'faire mètt, connard_!" Upgrade didn't even need the Omnitrix to translate it for him to understand that he was being insulted.

"There is no honor among thieves." Upgrade replied playfully.

* * *

Grandpa Max drove to the closest S.E.C.T. base and, from there, the Rust Bucket was teleported back to Bellwood in one of S.E.C.T.'s "teleport elevators". Back in Bellwood, on their way home, Ben and Gwen were sitting together on the RV's couch.

"This mission was nice, but I hope S.E.C.T. will give me something more challenging." Ben cracked his knuckles, "Stopping C-list villains like Lagrange seems like a waste of my talent."

"Can your ego get any bigger, Ben?" Gwen sighed. "At least you heard me when I said to use Upgrade and not XLR8."

"Every now and then I have to make you feel useful, right?" Ben smirked.

"Doofus." Gwen glared daggers at Ben. "This couch is already too full with you and your massive ego."

Gwen stood up, but Ben grabbed her arm. "Hey, hey, you know I'm just kidding, right, cuz? You are everything to me. I'd be miserable without you." He kissed her hand several times.

"I'll think about whether I forgive you or not, Doofus," Gwen said, with a smile, in a playful tone.

"I'll do anything you want!" Ben looked at her with puppy dog eyes.

"What would you from a year ago say to you today if he were to see you kissing up to me like this?" Gwen arched her eyebrow, still smiling.

Ben glanced discreetly to make sure that Grandpa wasn't paying attention to them, and lowered his tone to answer Gwen, "He'd say, 'The most beautiful girl in the world is crushing on you! You better not screw things up, or I'll kick your butt!'."

Gwen giggled. "Well, I'll get the tape recorder, then you can say again that I'm the most beautiful girl in the world and you are forgiven."

"Wait a minute," Ben said playfully, "Ben from one year ago would say that. I didn't know Charmcaster back then, now I think it's a tie between you and her as the two most beauti-" Gwen punched Ben's arm. "OUCH! You hit me _for real_!"

"You deserved it, Doofus." Somehow, Gwen was angry and chuckling at the same time.

Suddenly Gwen's eyes flashed for a second in a blue color identical to the color of her magic, and then Gwen seemed to freeze.

"Gwen, what's going on?" Ben shook her arm, already starting to panic.

Grandpa Max stopped the RV. "Gwen? Is everything alright?"

"They're talking to me," Gwen said, as if she were somewhere else, "They're talking to all of us."

"We're not hearing anything, Gwen." Max approached the teenagers, worried.

"We ... she meant Sorcerers," Ben thought aloud. He quickly used the Omnitrix to turn into Magus Viridis.

 _"-The only chance we'll have to go home, to Anodyne."_ Magus heard a voice directly in his head. He also felt Grandpa shaking him, trying to talk to him, but Grandpa seemed very far away.

The voice continued to talk to him. It gave him an address - which was in another State - and asked for him to be at that address on a certain day and time, a week later, and ready to get back home. Everything would be explained there.

Magus and Gwen 'awakened' at the same time.

"Thank God, I was worried about you kids." Max let out a sigh of relief, "What happened?"

Magus was almost as confused as Grandpa Max, so he waited for Gwen to have an answer.

"Someone used a very powerful spell to talk to us. Not just with me and Ben, but with all the wizards and witches who live here," Gwen said.

"Here? You mean in Bellwood?" Max asked.

"No," Gwen shook her head. "Maybe here in this country? I don't know how far this spell could have reached. They are gathering all sorcerers. It looks like they got a way to transport everyone back to Anodyne, our home-world," Gwen said.

Gwen was so ... human ... it was very easy to forget she was a descendant of aliens.

"WHAT?" Grandpa Max's jaw dropped.

"I will tell you what my grandmother told me, the story that is passed down through the generations to our people. Thousands of years ago, Anodyne was devastated by wars to the point of being uninhabitable. Everyone would slowly die if they stayed there. A group of surviving Sorcerers, using magic, managed to find another planet where they could live, Earth. But ... Earth was too far away. They paid a heavy price to create a portal from Anodyne to Earth. Many Sorcerers died to cast the spell of the portal that ensured the survival of our species," Gwen said, and paused.

"Today, thousands of years later, it's obvious that Anodyne is habitable again," Gwen proceeded, "But we Sorcerers are all relatively fine here. No one would risk their lives to create a portal back there. They must have gotten a safe way to transport everyone."

"You told me that your grandmother had Sunny's evolutive bracelet." Magus said, "Her friends may have found a way to use that to evolve other Sorcerers. A large group of evolved Anodites may be powerful enough to create a portal from here to Anodyne without losing their lives."

"You're right," Gwen said. "I'll have to talk to my grandmother, to Charmcaster, and probably to my mother as well."

Magus felt a chill in his spine. Would Gwen want to go to Anodyne? Would she leave Earth with her people?

Maybe he could go with her? Magus Viridis was a Sorcerer too, perhaps they would allow him to tag along and live there because of that alien. But what about Grandpa Max? And his mother? And father? If he had to make a choice...

"Gwen, I want you to know that ..." Magus took a deep breath, hesitated a little, but finally said, "I'd follow you anywhere."

First Gwen looked at him confused. Then she grinned from ear to ear. "Don't worry, the thought of leaving Earth never crossed my mind, cuz. But your words mean a lot to me!" She gave him a very tight hug.

Another thing easy to forget, was when Ben was Ben and when Ben was Magus Viridis, since they both looked exactly the same.

If Gwen remembered that Ben was Magus at that moment, she wouldn't have hugged him. If Ben remembered that he was Magus at that moment, he would've stopped her from hugging him.

The second that Gwen wrapped her arms around him, they felt the strong magical connectivity between their auras.

They both knew that Grandpa was there, looking straight at them, so they couldn't even think about letting their 'instincts' take over. But at the same time, the feeling of being there so close to each other was simply fantastic, they didn't want to let go. So they stayed in that tight embrace for minutes. Gwen kissed his cheek several times, and he did the same to her. It took all of his self-control to not let things go any further than that.

Finally, the Omnitrix timed-out and Magus turned back into Ben.

Max just looked at them with the face of someone who already knew everything and was just waiting for them to confess. Ben and Gwen obviously didn't say anything. The minutes to Gwen's house were spent in an awkward silence. But as soon as Gwen left the Rust Bucket, Grandpa - with a serious look on his face - asked Ben to sit on the passenger seat next to him. Ben knew that would probably end badly.

After a few moments, Grandpa Max finally broke the silence, "Before your grandmother, I met an alien. She was an Uxorite. A reptilian species with two tentacles on the head and a long tail. She 'shipwrecked' on Earth, and remained under the protection of S.E.C.T until her ship was repaired. Her name was Xylene."

Ben was surprised. Grandpa had never told him that. "You two…"

"Yes, we dated for a while. But my friends and family didn't like it. You know that my siblings, your great-uncle Gordon and your great-aunt Vera, were agents of S.E.C.T. too. They realized how _close_ I became to Xylene," Max said.

"And what happened?" Ben asked.

Grandpa Max sighed. "She offered for me to go with her. Her ship would be our home, and we could go anywhere in the Galaxy. But ... I didn't love her enough to leave everything behind and follow her anywhere." Max paused. "When you told Gwen that you'd follow her anywhere was it just a spur of the moment thing, or do you really love her enough to give up everything for her?"

Ben blushed hard. Grandpa already knew. He had told his story for Ben to know that he wouldn't judge him.

Ben sighed. "Gwen is the most amazing girl I've ever met. She's kind, fun, she's always by my side and always got my back. And, of course, she is super-ho- super pretty!" Ben paused, then continued in a lower tone, "While deep down I'm just a loser whose only quality is to have a cool alien watch. And she still likes me. Of course I'd do anything for her." And then Ben shrugged, "Anyway, Gwen said she has no intention of going to Anodyne, you have nothing to worry about."

"Ben, I want you to know that I will support you whatever your decision, but ..." Max said with a worried expression as he kept driving, "I want you to make sure you're doing it for the right reasons."

"What?" Ben asked, confused.

"I told you my story," Max said.

"You didn't stay with Xylene," Ben whispered.

"I was very happy with the choice I made. I fell in love with your grandmother, married her, had a wonderful family - including two fantastic grandchildren - and lived many adventures as an agent of S.E.C.T. If I had left with Xylene, I'd probably have been happy too, but maybe not as much as I was."

"You mean I shouldn't be with Gwen?" Ben asked sadly.

"No, that's not what I mean," Max replied. "It's just ... You two are cousins. You have to be prepared for your life to be turned upside down. Your family, your friends ... Many people won't understand this." Grandpa Max said, "Ben, if you are ready for all of this, either it's because you love Gwen more than anything, OR you are jumping head first into an infatuation because you are feeling unhappy and just want to find some happiness in your life. I just want you to make sure that your case is the first option so you have no regrets later."

"I guarantee you it's the first option, Grandpa," Ben replied.

"Thank you, Ben," Max said, "You and Gwen have my unconditional support."

"You know your sons better than anyone else. Do you think my dad and Gwen's dad will support us as well?" Ben asked.

They arrived at Ben's house. Grandpa Max parked the RV in front of the house. Then he looked at Ben and let out a long sigh. "No, I don't think Carl and Frank will support you two, Ben."

* * *

That night, Gwen's family went to dinner at Ben's. Ben noticed that Gwen was crestfallen and sad and he couldn't understand why. After dinner, while their parents were talking in the living room, Gwen and Ben went to Ben's bedroom.

"I don't like to see my Dweeb like this," Ben said, closing the door. "What's going on?"

"I called my grandma," Gwen said, sitting on the floor. "She's going to Anodyne. After next week, I will never see her again."

"I'm sorry Gwen," Ben sat down beside her and hugged her tightly.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Sorry, folks, I'm very busy lately, so this chapter was shorter and the next update might take a while. I want you to know that your support is my motivation to keep writing. So if you are enjoying this, please give me some kudos and bookmarks if you haven't already :)
> 
> * I'm finally wrapping up the Anodites storyline in this arc. I guess you already know where this is going. After this we're going to have two different groups of sorcerers: the evolved sorcerers on Anodyne - they will be the Anodites - and the human-like sorcerers on Earth - they will be called by another name. The big question is whether Verdona will go to Anodyne or stay on Earth with Gwen and Charmcaster. What do you think her final decision will be? Tell me in a comment!


	21. Going Home, part II

**Going Home, part II**

* * *

**Gwen**

* * *

**At the woods in the outer limits of Bellwood.**

"You know, if any other boy asked me to meet him alone in a desert place like this, I wouldn't show up," Gwen said playfully, as she approached Ben in the middle of a clearing.

"I'm not any boy. I'm your cousin," Ben said with a smile.

"Well, for any other girl, that would be an even stronger reason _not_ to meet you here," Gwen said.

The duo burst out laughing and they laughed until their stomachs hurt.

Fortunately, they weren't 'any boy' and 'any girl'; they were Ben and Gwen. Neither of them fit within society's standards of 'normal' anyway.

"So, what do you want to show me, Doofus?" Gwen asked. Those woods were the place where Ben and Gwen would go to use their powers freely away from the town and out of the sight of people.

"Do you know what Thep Khufans are, Dweeb?" he asked.

"Of course, Doofus." Gwen replied, "Thep Khufans are a species of alien symbiotes that can be described as 'living bandages'. These 'bandages' need to bond to other beings - 'hosts' - and they give them superhuman abilities. They are popularly known as mummies because their appearance resembles the mummies of Ancient Egypt. Another curiosity, Thep Khufans are genderless and reproduce asexually."

Ben was speechless.

"You were totally not expecting me to know all of this, you big Doofus!" Gwen bragged. "Has the cat got your tongue or are you willing to admit I outsmarted you as usual?"

"Actually, I was trying to think of a funny way to say that you're just as intelligent as you're hot, but I couldn't come up with one, so let's just go on ..." Ben said, causing Gwen to glare daggers at him, "One thing you don't know, S.E.C.T. has captured some Thep Khufans in the past, and highly trained agents use Thep Khufans to perform missions that are too dangerous for an ordinary human-"

"They do that?" Gwen interrupted, shocked, "Everyone knows that over time, a Thep Khufan can corrupt and control the host's mind, how can they risk the lives of the agents like that?"

"To be honest, agents risk their lives whenever they go on a mission, it's a calculated risk," Ben said, "and they have very strict rules, of course. For example, an agent can't remain bonded to a Thep Khufan for more than 48 hours, and there's a minimal break of two weeks until the next time."

"How do you know all of this?" Gwen raised an eyebrow, "I definitely didn't get this memo."

"Ah-ah, that's not the case now, Dweeb. My question for you is, if you could completely remove the risks, let's say, if the Thep Khufan is someone good, someone you trust, and the bond only lasts for fifteen minutes... Would you be curious to know what it is like to be a mummy?" Ben asked smiling.

"Do you have this alien on your watch? How?" Gwen asked in surprise. "Okay, I'll accept it, but later you will answer all my questions."

Ben slammed the watch, a bright green light shone, and then Gwen saw a cluster of bandages standing where Ben was. The bandages moved towards Gwen and began to wrap themselves around her.

Gwen definitely felt stronger and more powerful, "This is amazing!" She said, "But the bandages are a little tight around my butt. If you can hear me, can you loosen it up a bit, Ben?"

 _"Hehehe ... I'm sorry, Gwen,"_ Ben said.

"You can still talk to me? How?" Gwen asked.

" _I have no mouth or ears in this alien form, but we have a telepathic connection._ " She realized that Ben's voice was actually echoing in her head. " _Why don't you test your strength lifting that fallen tree right there_?"

Gwen walked over to a large tree, which by the looks of it had been struck by lightning a few days before, and tried to lift it. To her surprise, she succeeded. "Wow!"

 _"Great! Now jump from here to the top of that tree far ahead,"_ Ben suggested.

Gwen leapt and landed with mastery on a wide branch. She was again impressed that she had been able to make a jump at such a great height and distance.

 _"Now, let's go for a ride,"_ Ben said, and Gwen suddenly saw the bandages in her hands reaching out to a branch in another tree.

"WOOOOOOOOW" Gwen found herself swinging in the air as Ben took care of the locomotion, using the bandages to lead Gwen from one tree to another.

"That's ... cool!" Gwen was already getting used to the quick movements.

That ride made Gwen remember when she and Ben were on the island of the Spider-Apes, and they hiked on the apes' backs while they swung through the forest in their webs. That time, she didn't really enjoy the ride because of the present dangers, but now she fully appreciated the moment.

" _Spider-Apes aren't the only ones who can have fun swinging around trees! Now you're Spider-Gwen too!"_ Ben said, probably picking up on her thoughts due to the mind link that alien form provided between them.

After a few minutes, the familiar beep of the Omnitrix was heard. Gwen landed on the floor, and Ben started to unwrap himself off her, but the Omnitrix turned him back to normal before he could finish and he ended up coming back to normal with his arms and legs wrapped around Gwen. They both fell on the ground with Gwen on top of Ben in a very embarrassing position.

"So did you like the ride, cuz?" Ben asked, still curled up with her on the ground.

"I ... loved it!" Their lips were so close ... She wanted to thank him with a kiss, but Gwen knew that by the boundaries that she herself had established, they should not kiss on the lips. The redhead resisted the urge and just stood up.

"So, what do you want to do now?" Ben asked.

Gwen thought about pulling a prank on Ben and said, "You know, I want to renew my wardrobe. How about we spend an entire afternoon at the mall buying new clothes for me?"

Ben's eyes widened in dread, he hesitated for a moment, but ultimately replied, "Of course, I'd be happy to accompany you."

Gwen giggled, "Okay, what do you want, Ben?"

"To be a good cousin?" Ben said hesitantly.

"You're being too nice to me, and-" and then Gwen remembered the last time she was overly nice to Ben - she was trying to comfort him after he had been turned down by 'Lucky Girl' - and she understood that he was also trying to comfort her now. "It's because of my grandmother. I'm sad because she's leaving for Anodyne, and you want to cheer me up. "

"You're right," Ben replied sheepishly. "Your grandmother might leave, but I want you to know that I'll never leave you."

After that Gwen couldn't resist anymore. She cupped Ben's face in her hands and pressed her lips against his. "Thank you, Ben," Gwen said after a long and wonderful kiss.

"Y-you're w-welcome, a-anytime," Ben blushed a bit.

Suddenly, Ben's S.E.C.T. communicator began to beep.

"Watch Boy speaking." Ben answered.

"Ben, this is Director Steel. Please come to the base in Bellwood. Use the teleporter and come to the main headquarters immediately. It is urgent. I need to talk to you in person."

If Director Steel himself was calling, it was because there were serious problems.

* * *

**Director Steel's office...**

When Ben and Gwen arrived - as Watch Boy and Lucky Girl - Director Steel, Grandpa Max and Tomyx were waiting for them.

"What's wrong?" Ben asked.

Steel turned on the monitor, and the image of an incredibly strong and tall Vilgaxian in a black armor appeared on the screen. His pose was of an emperor...

Watch Boy's and Lucky Girl's eyes turned to Tomyx, "Is this ...?"

"Yes. It's Vilgax himself." Tomyx confirmed.

"This video has spread on the internet thanks to Vilgax's human collaborators," Steel said, with his arms folded.

Lucky Girl remembered Eric Edwards, the rich and famous owner of the "Conduit Edwards" company. He was a member of a cult of Vilgax worshipers, and like him, there were many other humans who also swore to serve the alien overlord in secret, expecting to be rewarded after Vilgax conquered Earth.

Lucky Girl couldn't understand what Vilgax was saying. She knew a spell that allowed her to comprehend an unknown language, but it only worked for in-person conversations, it was useless for a video like that. The video was subtitled though - probably the work of the same Vilgax followers who spread it on the internet - whatever Vilgax's message was, he wanted the humans to hear and understand.

_"People of Earth, I am Vilgax, the Conqueror, the beloved of the Great Old Ones, the living Cthulhu. I address you not as someone who wants to make you slaves, but as someone who wants to set you free. A long time ago, when my home planet was still called Murray, and those of my species were still called Murraxians, my planet was not much different from yours. The greedy authorities exploited the humble ones, and my people suffered in misery, pain and fear. I changed that. I brought peace, justice and security to my world. But I saw that my purpose was greater than that. My purpose is to save the whole galaxy from the same corruption that plagued my world."_

"This bastard wants to hide his thirst for power behind a noble speech!" Ben said in disgust.

_"The corrupt authorities of the Earth want to continue oppressing you, and want to prevent me from taking my rightful place as your ruler and god. Unfortunately, this causes Earth to bleed, and costs the lives of many humans. But I assure you, this will not last much longer. I will personally come to Earth, to bring the destruction of the oppressors and usher a glorious new age of prosperity for your planet."_

"He's coming here ..." Lucky Girl said, feeling a chill run through her spine.

"For decades, Vilgax only sent his lieutenants here, never showed up in person," Director Steel said, "It's very clear that the biggest reason he is coming here now is because of the Omnitrix and his son. Ben and Tomyx, we have to find a way to protect you and-"

"No way! I don't need protection!" Watch Boy protested, "I'll train as much as I can, get as many new aliens as I can, and get ready to face Vilgax when he gets here! This is my world, and I'm going to show that megalomaniac squid-face that he's not welcome here!"

"I'm with Mr. Ben! We have to get ready for a fight, not hide!" Tomyx said.

Lucky Girl was impressed by Ben's bravery... and also worried deeply for his life. She glanced at her grandfather, and realized that he too was equally impressed and worried.

* * *

When Gwen got home that night, to her surprise she found her mother Natalie and her grandmother Verdona talking.

"Grandma!" Gwen ran to give Verdona a hug.

"Hi, Gwenny." Verdona smiled and hugged her back.

"I'll let you talk to Gwen alone, mom. I'll be in my bedroom." Natalie climbed the stairs.

Gwen was even more surprised, "I thought you and Mom were at odds with each other."

"Knowing that I'll leave this planet soon made your mother forget our differences," Verdona said.

"I wanted you to stay here, Grandma!" Gwen held back her tears. "Why do you want to leave your family and go to a stupid planet light years away from here?"

"And I wanted you to go with me, Gwenny," Verdona said with a sad smile, "It's different for you. Your mother raised you as a human, not a sorceress. She didn't tell you all about the stories and beauties of our home-world. Anodyne is just a stupid planet to you, I get that, but to me, it's the Promised Land."

"Sorry, Grandma ..." Gwen lowered her head.

"No need to apologize." Verdona lifted Gwen's chin. "I don't want to pressure you, but I saw the Vilgax video on the internet. I think Anodyne will be a lot safer than Earth, and you and Ben really should consider coming with me. "

Gwen hadn't stopped to think about it. Ben would be safer in Anodyne ... And he had promised to accompany her if she decided to go.

"The evolution, Grandma ... Is it safe?" Gwen asked.

Verdona sighed, "It has its downsides. Those who go through the process will become energy beings. Of course, one can still 'wear' a skin whenever one wants, but it's not the same thing ... We don't know, for example, if having children will still be possible. And speaking of health, short term it's safe, but we can't know the long-term effects yet ... So only a group of people necessary to create the portal is going to evolve. After a few years, we'll know the consequences better, and decide if others will also be allowed to go through the process... Have you changed your mind about going?" Verdona asked with hope.

"I ... I don't know," Gwen said, "Will you stay here at my house until the day of departure?"

"Your parents let me stay, yes, but I have to look for Charmcaster first. I can't find her anywhere, and I'm afraid Hex is up to something really terrible."

"I'll help you, Grandma," Gwen said.

"No. I don't want you involved in this. Do you understand me, young lady?" Verdona spoke in a very stern tone. Gwen was sure that her grandmother was trying to protect her.

* * *

Ben and Gwen were in Yosemite Park at the night Ben found the Omnitrix. Ben turned into XLR8 and ran to protect tourists from the Vilgaxian troops. Gwen watched one of the Vilgaxian soldiers shot at XLR8, opening a hole in his chest. He dropped dead on the ground.

Ben and Gwen were in the underground part of the warehouse where they met Eric Edwards and his Squid-Monster. Edwards ordered the monster to attack the duo, Ben turned into the Ripjaws and faced off against the creature while he could, but the monster devoured him while Gwen just watched helplessly.

Ben and Gwen were facing Albedo, Sunny and Antonio at Sunny's mansion. Albedo used his Ultimatrix to turn into Chromastone, while Ben turned into Diamondhead. Chromastone fired a powerful blast at Diamondhead, shattering him into a thousand pieces.

Ben and Gwen were standing in front of Vilgax. The alien overlord grabbed Ben and, with his brute force, ripped off his left arm. Ben bled to death in Gwen's arms.

"NOOOOO!" Gwen woke up startled. The redhead flinched in the bed, scared. In her nightmares that night, Ben was always dying. She couldn't protect him.

Gwen couldn't sleep anymore. In her mind, the darkest paranoid thoughts began to take form. She was almost sure Vilgax had come to Earth that very night, and attacked Ben at his house. She grabbed her cell phone and called him. She needed to hear his voice, to make sure she was just going crazy, and everything was fine with her cousin.

"-Ello," Ben answered in a sleepy voice.

"Ben, thank God." Gwen said, "I just wanted to make sure everything was okay with you."

"It's 2 A.M., Dweeb. Couldn't you at least wait until the morning?" He replied, irritated and sleepy.

"Sorry, Ben. You're right. Bye, love you." She hung up the phone.

It didn't help. Gwen was still unable to get any sleep.

After a few minutes tossing and turning in the bed, she heard a knock at her window. The redhead stood up from the bed, and saw Ben at her window.

"Ben, what are you doing here?" Gwen asked as she opened the window for him to enter.

"I'm sorry for being rude to you on the phone before, Dweeb. If you called me this late, it's obvious that you have a problem. I XLR8'ed myself here," Ben said.

Gwen laid down on the bed and invited him to lay down next to her. She placed her head on his chest and curled up with him. "Ben... Would you go to Anodyne with me?"

Ben was speechless for a few seconds, until he finally gave her an answer, "I told you that I'd follow you anywhere, then yes. But now more than ever, I really wouldn't want to leave. If Vilgax comes here and I take him out, it's very likely that his empire will collapse with his closest lieutenants in a power struggle, and Earth will be free of Vilgaxian attacks for a long time, maybe even forever. I can make a difference. If I leave now I'll feel very bad, like I'm abandoning my world to its doom."

Gwen giggled at the irony of the situation. The reason why she wanted to leave was the same reason why Ben wanted to stay.

"I'd say I hate how heroic you are, but that was one of the things that made me fall in love with you, so hating it would be kind of a contradiction," Gwen said, caressing his chest.

"I understand," Ben said, running his hand through her hair, "I feel the same way about your dweebness. I hate it and love it at the same time. "

"The only thing I want is to keep you safe, away from monsters, villains and alien overlords. I see you diving head first into danger every day, and I'm terrified you might die." Gwen sighed, hugging him even tighter.

"Gwen, do you wanna know how I got a Thep Khufan on my watch?"

"Yes, you didn't tell me before."

"The day S.E.C.T.'s scientists find a way to take the Omnitrix off my wrist, I'm back to being the same normal and boring Ben Tennyson from before ... I've been talking to Director Steel about other possibilities for me, he told me about the Thep Khufans that S.E.C.T. has and let me do a 'test drive' with one. The watch scanned its DNA."

Gwen took Ben's hand and kissed it, "Cuz, you were never boring to me. And you're not normal. With or without the Omnitrix, you'll never be normal," of course Gwen said that as a compliment.

"Thank you, Dweeb." Ben gently caressed her butt. Gwen let that one pass. "My point is, I really love being a hero. And I'll admit, at first, I kind of used this as an outlet and I threw myself head first into danger, because I had nothing better than being a hero in my life. But now it's different, I have something better. You."

Gwen grinned from ear to ear, "Ben, you're so sweet ..."

"So, I promise you I'll be more careful. After all, if I die, I won't have sex with you, and I really, really want to have sex with you."

"And you go from 'sweet' to 'perv' in five seconds."

"I'm kidding. I want to live so I can enjoy my life with you, every second of it," Ben said, "But anyway, I'm going to Anodyne with you, if that's what you really want. But I'd like to leave registered that there is no guarantee that there will be no dangers in Anodyne too, you know that, right? "

"Thank you, Ben." Gwen said, "Our place is here on Earth, saving lives and kicking butts. I'm sorry for trying to make you leave. Everything is fine now. If you want to go back to your home, you can go."

"You're having trouble to sleep tonight, aren't you? Nightmares, about me." Ben was quite perceptive.

"Yes."

"I'll stay here until you fall asleep. It will probably help. "

"Thank you, Ben. You're a sweetheart," Gwen said, already half asleep, curled up with Ben.

* * *

**The next morning...**

"Gwen, wake up." That voice was from her father Frank.

The redhead opened her eyes and the morning sunlight had already made its way into her bedroom. Frank and Natalie were standing by her bed, with their arms folded.

Gwen suddenly heard a snore next to her. Ben's snore. He had fallen asleep too. _"Oh my God…"_

"Why is your cousin sleeping in your bed?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * If my mummies remind you of the Symbiotes from Spider-Man, well, it was my inspiration! S.E.C.T. using Thep Khufans is based on the Agent Venom premise. And I couldn't help but to add a nod to Spider-Gwen. I think it's quite obvious by now that I'm a big comic book fan!


	22. Friend or Foe?

**Friend or Foe?**

* * *

**Gwen**

* * *

Curled up with Ben, Gwen had a wonderful night of sleep, free of nightmares. But the worst nightmare happened after she woke up in the morning. Her parents caught Ben sleeping in the bed with her.

"Mom, Dad, it's not what you're thinking!" Gwen said.

"What I'm thinking is that Ben came here in the wee hours for some reason, and fell asleep in your bed with you. At this moment, I hope that's all that happened and nothing else..." Frank said, his arms folded. His voice tone was calm but stern.

"Err, then it is what you're thinking, don't worry," Gwen said, with a nervous chuckle.

Ben woke up at that moment and his eyes widened in dread. "Uncle Frank, Aunt Natalie, what are you doing here?"

"Gwen had overslept and we came to wake her up for breakfast," Natalie replied. She seemed to be very upset, "The main question is what YOU are doing here, Ben."

Ben began to stutter, "I ... I ... I ..."

Gwen decided that the best lie she could come up with would be to tell part of the truth, obviously omitting some details.

"Mom, you know that Ben and I are trainees in S.E.C.T.," Gwen said, "that video of Vilgax announcing that he's coming here to Earth made me panic. I was having nightmares and I couldn't sleep, and Ben was kind enough to come here to help me calm down."

"I was already awake, and Bellwood is a very safe town, no problem walking through the streets in the wee hours," Ben said, "and I accidentally fell asleep here, but it wasn't my intention, of course."

Natalie was about to answer, but Frank motioned for her to wait. "You two come down and have breakfast, and then we'll talk about it."

During breakfast, Gwen glanced at the living room and saw her parents were talking, certainly about what they would do to Ben and Gwen.

"Sorry, Gwen, I messed up," Ben whispered.

"Don't worry, Ben. It's not your fault," Gwen whispered back with a smile. She'd woken Ben late at night because of her nightmares, and she agreed that he would stay there until she slept. Gwen would never blame Ben for the situation they were in.

After breakfast, Ben and Gwen vehemently denied that there was anything more between them than 'family love', but Gwen's parents didn't care, and the scolding began. There was a long speech about how romantic relationships between cousins are harmful to the family, how shameful it would be if friends and the rest of their family thought they were together, and that it could even ruin the future professional career of the two. Gwen's parents also insisted for Ben and Gwen to reduce their time together, and they didn't want them alone with each other at any moment. Obviously they also called Ben's parents and told them everything.

Fortunately, Ben's cell phone rang, giving them a little break.

"Uncle Frank, Aunt Natalie, it's my friend Hope. Please let me talk to her?" Ben said.

Gwen was surprised. Grandma Verdona was very worried looking for Charmcaster, and she was unable to get in touch with her at all.

"You can go," Frank said. Ben thanked him and went to the back of the house. Meanwhile, Frank and Natalie continued to punish Gwen's ears with that boring talk.

A few moments later, Ben came back with a smile on his face. "Uncle Frank, Aunt Natalie, I think we can leave this misunderstanding behind us. My girlfriend is coming here. "

Frank and Natalie were very surprised that Ben had a girlfriend. Gwen figured that Charmcaster would pretend to be Ben's girlfriend to help them out of that situation. At this point, Gwen would accept anything to make her parents stop whining. Gwen only hoped that Charmcaster wouldn't get "too comfortable" in the role of Ben's girlfriend.

When Hope arrived, she looked quite different from the Charmcaster with whom Gwen was used to. Although her long hair was still tied up in a ponytail, she was now blonde, no longer silver-haired. And her eyes were blue instead of pink. Her usual outfits - a magenta coat and long purple boots - had been replaced by a purple shirt and black jeans.

"Hi, Ben." Hope kissed Ben on the cheek.

First, Gwen was glad that Hope didn't try to kiss Ben on the mouth. Then she realized it was actually strange. Hope liked to tease Gwen by hitting on Ben right in front of her, and now she had a golden opportunity, she could do whatever she wanted and Gwen would have to watch without saying a thing. Hope was not even taunting Gwen with a smile, she had a neutral expression on her face. Something was not right...

"Mr. and Mrs. Tennyson, I want to apologize for getting Ben in trouble," Hope said, holding Ben's hand, "I got interested in Ben when I saw how kind he was to his cousin. I thought it was very sweet and I told him that he should treat me the same way he treats her. When he told me that Gwen was having nightmares and couldn't sleep, I asked him what he would do if I was in that situation. He said he would come to me and keep me company. I told him to do the same for Gwen as a joke, but he took it literally," Hope laughed, and for Gwen who knew her for quite some time already, it seemed like it was a forced laugh.

Frank and Natalie seemed to accept the explanation.

"Ben, Gwen, why didn't you tell us about Hope earlier?" Frank asked, after a few seconds of silence.

"If you had heard the same story from us, you would've thought it was just a big fat lie, wouldn't you?" Ben said, scratching his head and faking a smile.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Frank agreed.

"I'm glad the misunderstanding has been resolved." Hope said, "Let's go, Ben?"

"Of course. Goodbye, Gwen, Uncle Frank, Aunt Natalie." Ben and Hope walked out of the house, and from the window, Gwen and her parents watched the two leaving in Hope's car.

Gwen couldn't shake off this feeling that something was not right. A few minutes later, in her bedroom, she tried to call Ben's cell phone, but no one answered. She then dialed Hope's cell phone, but no one answered either.

Gwen immediately called Grandpa Max.

"Grandpa, I need your help."

* * *

**Inside the Rust Bucket, a few minutes later …**

"Grandpa, I don't believe S.E.C.T. didn't put some tracking device on Ben's watch." Gwen said, "And I need you to track him down."

"You're right... There's actually a tracking device on it..." Max admitted with a lot of embarrassment, giving Gwen a tablet.

"They're leaving Bellwood ..." Gwen said in a worried tone, watching the dot moving on the map, "We have to catch up with them, Grandpa. I feel Ben is in danger."

Max drove the RV as fast as he could, also looking for shortcuts to save time.

"Oh no. They left the road and stopped," Gwen said, startled, her eyes glued to the tablet's screen. Fortunately, the Rust Bucket was already quite close to Ben's location.

When Max and Gwen finally reached Charmcaster, they saw a small alien spacecraft and two Vilgaxian soldiers carrying Ben, who was unconscious, towards it.

Grandpa Max grabbed his weapons, "Gwen, take care of Charmcaster. I'm going to save Ben. "

Gwen - or rather, Lucky Girl - spotted Hope - who was now in her usual Charmcaster costume and looks.

"I bet your dear uncle Hex told you to hand Ben over to Vilgax's minions... I will not forgive this betrayal, and I will not go easy on you, Charmcaster!" Lucky Girl said, furious.

"I had no choice, Gwen. I don't want to fight you," Charmcaster said, putting her hands on her head as if she were disoriented.

"The moment you put my cousin's life at risk you also asked for a fight against me!" Lucky Girl shouted, then rushed towards Charmcaster.

" _Petrus vita_!" Charmcaster yelled, pulling out of her weird bag a few pebbles and tossing them into the air before Lucky Girl got too close to her. The pebbles turned into "rock bats" and flew towards the heroine.

Lucky Girl created a protective blue bubble around herself. The bats quickly charged against the bubble, trying to breach through it. At first glance it seemed that the heroine's strategy had been awful, she was surrounded, and eventually the bats would destroy the bubble and attack her. But Lucky Girl actually had a plan.

In an instant, Lucky Girl undid the mana bubble and shouted, " _Tornare Ventus_!" creating a tornado around her that made the bats crash into one another, taking advantage of the fact that they were all very close.

Lucky Girl took care of the few bats left with blasts of mana.

" _Plantae eruptum_!" Charmcaster shouted, and, distracted, Lucky Girl didn't notice roots were taking on a life of their own until they were wrapping around her.

"Give up, Gwen," Charmcaster said.

"Never! _Incendia_!" Lucky Girl had no choice but to set the plants on fire. It was a dangerous strategy because it could end up burning her too. As soon as she was free, Lucky Girl had to roll over on the ground to put out the fire in her suit.

"Don't worry, I'll help you ... _Glacius_!" Charmcaster released a freezing blast against Lucky Girl.

" _Appareo Portarum!_ " Lucky Girl shouted, creating a blue portal in front of her. The freezing blast entered through the portal and reappeared in another portal, behind Charmcaster, hitting the silver-haired witch in the back. "You can keep your 'help' to yourself, I don't need it."

Charmcaster ended up partially frozen, and did the same trick Lucky Girl had done before, " _Incendia_!" She managed to thaw herself, but also had a part of her clothes burned by the fire, which angered her a lot. "Playtime is over! _Unsquiera Despariot_!" This spell was like an explosion of mystical energy, released from the body of Charmcaster and spread itself circularly in all directions.

"Argh!" Lucky Girl was thrown in the air.

"You started training _months_ ago with Verdona. I've been training for _years_ with Verdona _and_ Hex. You can't beat me, so stay down and don't force me to hurt you!" Charmcaster shouted.

Lucky Girl realized that Charmcaster was right, she was the better witch ... Lucky Girl had to try a different strategy.

" _Invisibilitas_!" Lucky Girl yelled, and became invisible.

" _Nega Invisibilitas_!" Charmcaster shouted, nullifying her spell. But all Lucky Girl needed was a few seconds to get close enough to Charmcaster, and she got it.

Without giving space to her opponent, Lucky Girl began to deliver a combo of punches and kicks. Charmcaster tried to defend herself, but without much success.

"You might be the better witch, but I've been practicing karate since before I was 10, and I'm the better fighter!" Lucky Girl said, attacking Charmcaster with a roundhouse kick that knocked her out cold.

* * *

Back on the Rust Bucket, Gwen woke Ben up.

"What's going on? My head hurts," Ben said confused, and then looked at Lucky Girl and the still unconscious Charmcaster. The two girls' costumes were in tatters thanks to the fight from before. Ben gave her a silly grin and said, "I won't feel jealous this time, but you have to promise to include me the next time you and Charmcaster are having fun together."

"We were FIGHTING, not having fun, you big doofus!" Gwen said angrily, putting on normal clothes over the remains of her costume, "Or didn't you even realize that Charmcaster kidnapped you?"

"The last thing I remember is that I was in the car with Hope, she offered me a grape smoothie, and I felt sleepy after..." Ben said.

"She drugged you, Ben. She was going to hand you over to Vilgax. "

"What?" Ben was shocked, "Why?"

"I'm sure she was obeying orders from Hex. She probably had to choose between us and Hex, and she chose Hex. We should never have trusted Charmcaster," Gwen said disappointedly. Even though she and Charmcaster had a rivalry, she still regarded her as a friend, and she didn't expect that treason.

"What are we going to do now?" Ben asked, looking equally hurt by Charmcaster's betrayal.

"I called Grandma Verdona. She asked that we bring Charmcaster to her first. But we will turn her in to S.E.C.T. after."

* * *

**Later, at Verdona's house ...**

Charmcaster was still unconscious and lying on Verdona's bed, restrained in iron chains.

Grandma Verdona made cuts on the palm of both her hands, held Charmcaster's head, and began to recite several incantations that Gwen didn't know. After a few seconds, Verdona cried out in pain and fell to her knees on the floor.

"Grandma, what are you doing?" Gwen asked confused.

"A very powerful spell, Gwen. If Charmcaster is under Hex's mental control, this spell might set her free." Verdona replied, having to lean on Gwen to stand up. "But I'm going to need to rest for a good time now."

Charmcaster woke up a few moments later, "I'm feeling in control again ... am I free?" She smiled. "Thank you so much, Aunt Verdona! I should have listened to you about Hex, you were right-"

"What was the spell he used on you?" Verdona asked with concern.

"The Imperius Maledictum."

"I'm sorry, dear ..." Verdona said, "What I've done won't be a permanent solution. If Hex gets close to you, he can trigger the spell again."

"Oh, no ..." Charmcaster lamented.

"CC, I'm sorry," Gwen said, "I thought you'd betrayed us, I didn't know that scoundrel uncle of yours was controlling your mind."

"You don't have to apologize, Red," Charmcaster said, "Until yesterday, I was an idiot who talked about my uncle with the greatest admiration and respect. And because of the spell, I couldn't tell you that I was under the influence of his magic. You had every reason to believe that I was betraying you of my own free will. I'm the one who has to apologize for putting you and Ben at risk."

"I'll release you, CC," Gwen said, already approaching the iron chains that were holding her to the bed. But Grandpa Max stopped her.

"Not so fast." Max was still suspicious, "Tell us everything you've done. We need to make sure you're not just pretending to be under the influence of a spell. Did you reveal Ben's and Gwen's identities to Hex? And who else did he tell? "

Gwen felt a chill through her spine at the thought that Hex and Vilgax knew her and Ben's secret identities. She realized that Ben was equally worried.

"Uncle Hex knows everything, I told him when I was under the spell," Charmcaster lowered her head in shame, "Vilgax doesn't know anything. Uncle Hex doesn't want to put Gwen and her mother at risk. And since Ben is Gwen's cousin, exposing Ben's identity would also put them at risk, so he'll keep Ben's name a secret. And the only ones who saw Ben's face are a few of Vilgax's minions that I met near the road."

"It won't be a problem, they died in the exchange of fire with me," Max said.

"Did you kill Vilgaxian soldiers? You really are an impressive man, Max..." Verdona smiled seductively at Max, who blushed.

"Wait a minute! Why would Hex care about putting me or my mother at risk?" Gwen asked, with her arms folded.

"You know the answer, Gwen ..." Charmcaster said, almost in a whisper.

" _No_ ," Gwen shook her head, "My mother is not Hex's daughter. I'm not Hex's granddaughter."

"I'm sorry, Gwenny," Grandma Verdona said, putting her hand on Gwen's shoulder, "My relationship with Hex was a mistake. But you and your mother were not. You are wonderful people-"

"You said I wasn't Hex's granddaughter, Grandma!" Gwen spoke, almost yelling.

"I lied."

"No ..." Gwen was almost crying.

Ben wrapped her in a hug. "I don't care if you're Hex's granddaughter, Gwen. You're still _my_ cousin." He kissed her cheek, then whispered in her ear, "and the girl I love."

"And my granddaughter," Max said, smiling.

"And mine too," Verdona said.

"Thank you folks. My family is the best," Gwen said, still wrapped in Ben's arms.

Gwen noticed that Charmcaster was looking at her with a smile on her face, but sad eyes. She finally pulled away of Ben's embrace and approached the bed, "And I won't forget you, CC." Gwen released her from the chains, "If there's one good thing I can get out of being Hex's granddaughter, is that you and I are cousins too." Gwen hugged Charmcaster very tight.

"Thank you so much, Red," Charmcaster said, returning the hug.

Soon after, Ben also hugged Charmcaster, "And if you're Gwen's cousin, I consider you my cousin too!" then he kissed her on the cheek.

"You're the cutest boy in the world, Ben." Charmcaster smiled at him.

Gwen obviously got jealous and pulled Ben away from Charmcaster, "Everyone knows that you have a weakness for your beautiful witch cousins, Ben, so you better _not_ think of CC as your cousin."

Suddenly the expression on the face of Charmcaster shifted from joy to dread, "Gwen, your parents. Hex wants to go after them."

Gwen immediately picked up her phone and dialed her mother's cell phone number.

"Mom?"

"Gwendolyn, it's a great joy to talk to you," The voice that answered was somber and masculine, it was certainly Hex. "Your mother and grandmother probably haven't told you about me, but I'm your grandfather, and I'm looking forward to meeting you. We have a lot of things to talk about and…"

"You're a monster, Hex, and I don't give a crap if we share some genes. I don't want anything to do with you. Now, give the phone to my mom," Gwen said angrily.

Hex sighed, "Surely, you've heard negative things about me. I hope to change your opinion about myself over time. Fortunately, we'll have plenty of time on Anodyne. "

"I'm not going anywhere with you," Gwen said dryly.

"Considering your voice tone, I'll have to come up with a compelling argument for you to change your mind. You probably already imagine that I have your parents here with me," Hex said.

"If you hurt them, I swear-"

"I'd never hurt my daughter. But what will happen to Frank Tennyson is entirely up to you..." Gwen heard a scream of pain on the other end of the line. The voice was from her father Frank.

**To be continued…**

 


	23. Trojan Horse

**Trojan Horse**

* * *

**Ben**

* * *

"Dad!" Gwen yelled on the phone with a look of desperation on her face.

"Gwendolyn, you, along with your cousin Charmcaster, your grandmother Verdona and your cousin Ben will surrender to me, and in return I will let Frank Tennyson live. Be at your house at midnight." Hex hung up. The call was on the speaker, so Ben and the others could hear everything.

Ben felt a chill on his spine. Uncle Frank was in serious danger.

After a few moments of total silence, Charmcaster was the first to speak, "If I surrender, he will trigger the mind control spell on me again..." Charmcaster looked at Gwen with guilt written on her face, "I can't, Red. I'm so sorry." And then, suddenly, she ran off.

"Hope, no! Hex can find you out there!" Verdona said. She tried to go after Charmcaster, but she was still too weak after using the spell to free her from the mind control and lost her balance. Grandpa Max held Verdona and prevented her from falling.

Gwen was still in shock, processing the threat Hex made, and Ben realized that he was the best person to go after Charmcaster at that moment. He ran after her through the house, and grabbed her arm before she could reach the exit door, "CC, don't go, you're safer here."

Charmcaster briefly glanced at him with sad eyes, "I'm sorry, Ben. I'm not a hero like you. I don't sacrifice myself to save a person I barely know."

"We just want you here because it's safer. Nobody will force you to do anything. Crap, if I surrender, Hex will hand me over to Vilgax, who will torture me, take off my watch and kill me. I'm sure we'll find another way to save my Uncle Frank that does not involve a slow, agonizing death for me and a life of submission for you. I promise." Ben placed his hand on CC's shoulder.

CC looked at Ben with tear-filled eyes, "Look at me... Your uncle is in danger, you are in danger and all I care about is myself. I really wanted you to see a better side of me, but I don't think I have one. Deep down, all I am is a selfish villain. You must be so disappointed in me... "

"No way. I don't judge you. You've suffered a lot. You lost your parents and was raised by Hex. I completely understand that you're not willing to go out there and do charity," Ben said with a nervous chuckle.

Ben's response made CC shed a tear from her eye.

"So you're not even disappointed in me because you never expected anything good coming from me in the first place," she said, in a hurt tone.

"No, no, that's not what I meant." Ben tried to apologize. Excluding Gwen, he had always been horrible talking to girls. Now wasn't any different, "What I meant was... was..." he didn't even know what to say.

"You're not wrong, Ben. Ever since my father died, I never thought of being anything but a villain. Until I met you. You risk your life for strangers, you're fun, you're caring, you're ... so good." Hope began to caress Ben's face, "You make me want to find goodness inside me again. But there's nothing left of it," she said with a sad smile, brushing her fingers on his cheek.

"I d-don't b-believe it, y-you're a good p-person," Ben tried to say a few words of encouragement to Charmcaster, but he couldn't stop stuttering.

Charmcaster suddenly brought her face close to his, and for a second Ben thought she would kiss him and he froze, not knowing how to react. But then she turned around and did kiss him, but on his cheek.

"T-Thank you, CC," Ben blushed, "Let's go back, okay?"

Ben was obviously imagining things. Charmcaster didn't like him as more than a friend - she'd hit on him a few times before, true, but those were just pranks to tease Gwen. That way was obviously better. He already had feelings for Gwen, and even though they were not oficially dating yet, Ben really hoped they would once they turned 18, so he couldn't return another person's feelings for him. That would only end in heartbreak.

CC simply didn't have many friends, so she was attached and affectionate to Ben and Gwen. Ben had to stop letting his mind wander just because a girl was being friendly with him.

A few minutes later, Gwen had already made up her mind.

"I will not turn anyone over to Hex," Gwen said, "I don't want CC to get brainwashed again, God knows what Hex would do to Verdona, and we all know that the first thing he would do to Ben would be to hand him over to Vilgax. I'll try to persuade Hex to free my father in exchange for me alone."

Everyone protested against the idea. No one wanted Gwen to turn herself over to Hex.

"He won't hurt me. On the phone, he didn't threaten my mother, so I'm sure that this 'immunity' extends to me too," Gwen said.

"You're probably right, but he can still use the Imperius Maledictum spell to brainwash you, Red!" Charmcaster warned.

"That ritual takes weeks," Gwen said, "I'm counting on it that Hex will be stopped before he has the chance to do that to me."

"He's not going to be stopped!" Charmcaster said, desperate, "Uncle Hex is going to crowd Anodyne with Vilgaxian troops, and then not even the combined power of all the sorcerers in the world will be able to take back the planet from him. They would have a chance now, but the Coven will not rally against Hex because he kidnapped their children. He thought of everything."

"Wait a minute," Ben had an idea, "What if we save the children of the Coven members from Hex?"

"We don't know where they are, and even if we did, I'm sure my uncle would have plans within plans to prevent anyone from rescuing them," Charmcaster let out a sigh.

"We can use a Trojan horse!" Ben said, his eyes shining, "I could go with Gwen, hidden as one of my aliens, Hex wouldn't notice! Gwen would find a way to get sent to the same place where the children of the Coven members are, and I could free them all!"

"That is a good idea," Verdona said.

"No way," Grandpa Max intervened, "You can only become alien for 15 minutes, Ben. You would reverse to your human form and get busted before you could do anything useful."

"What if Ben were a very lucky boy, wouldn't he be able to stay in alien form much longer?" Verdona said with a smirk.

* * *

"One hour and counting!" Grey Matter said, very excited. Ben had touched Gwen's Charm of Luck, and her luck had been transferred to him. Verdona was right, now he had more control over the duration of his transformation.

"I don't like it, Ben." Gwen folded her arms, "We're pretty sure the Omnitrix doesn't need to recharge, so the only conclusion is that it has a time limit for your health. Staying as an alien for a long time can harm you."

"Dweeb, you're just jealous because I'm playing with your magic toys," Grey Matter said, teasing her so that she would stop worrying about his health.

"Doofus!" Gwen rolled her eyes.

Gray Matter pressed the Omnitrix's plate in his chest and turned back into Ben again, "It works like a charm, literally!"

"I'm not so sure." Verdona arched her eyebrows, "The amulet makes you lucky but it doesn't make Hex dumb. I'm sure somebody will search Gwen and find a four inch tall humanoid frog in her pocket."

"I have another alien that might be a better choice for this situation..." Ben said hesitantly, "But I think Gwen wouldn't agree."

"Ben, I would never do anything to put your life at risk. If you have a safer idea, of course I'll accept it. Let's hear it," Gwen said.

"Okay, since you insist. I could use my mummy, and wrap myself around you... under your clothes." Ben whispered the last part, already preparing for Gwen to get mad at him," Of course I'd never-"

"Ben, don't be silly. I trust you," Gwen said in a calm tone, "and I agree, this is the safest way."

Of course he didn't suggest that out of malice, and he would never take advantage of Gwen, but as hard as he tried to be _professional_ about the situation, he couldn't deny that spending hours like a mummy in direct contact with his stunningly beautiful cousin's body would be... nice, at least. " _I'm really lucky,_ " Ben thought, with a smirk creeping on his face.

Grandpa cast a reproving glance at him, and Ben tried to hide his smirk, blushing.

* * *

There was not much to do until midnight, so Ben was resting in one of the bedrooms when he heard someone knock on the door. It was Gwen.

She threw herself at him in a tight hug, "I'm scared, Ben. What if Hex doesn't free my dad? What if he kills him? What if he finds out about our 'trojan horse' plan and kills you too?"

Ben hugged her back and tried to calm her down, "Shh, shh, it'll be alright, cuz. Don't worry, don't worry." He kissed her forehead. They remained in that tight embrace for long minutes until it was time to go.

* * *

**Near midnight, Gwen's house.**

Through the mummy-host telepathic connection, Ben, or better, Benmummy, could see and hear everything as if he and Gwen were one and the same. Gwen was "dressed" with Benmummy under her Lucky Girl outfit.

Lucky Girl entered the house and turned on the lights. There was a light brown-skinned man, looking like he was in his early forties, sitting on a chair in the living room.

"Bob Salas?" Lucky Girl asked confused.

Through the telepathic connection, Benmummy knew from Gwen's thoughts that the man was Roberto "Bob" Salas, a great illusionist and stage magician. Gwen had been a fan of him since childhood.

"I never imagined you were a real magician!" Lucky Girl said, amazed, "Nine out of ten of the magic tricks you perform, you explain exactly how you do it!"

"And the tenth, the one I don't explain, I do with real magic," Bob gave her a sad smile, "My biggest trick is to hide myself in plain sight."

And then Lucky Girl folded her arms and frowned, "And I never imagined that you were also allied with a terrorist like Hex. I was your fan until now, Mr. Salas."

Bob let out a long sigh, "I'm not. Hex kidnapped my three children, Natan, Hannah and Anna, so I have no other option but to obey him."

"I'm sorry..." Lucky Girl apologized.

Bob threw a small black rock at the floor and yelled, "Margoloh!" A smoke came out of the stone and a hologram of Hex appeared in the smoke.

"My granddaughter," Hex said with a smile, already knowing that Lucky Girl and Gwen Tennyson were the same person, "You understand that I have to take certain precautions, so I'm not personally here with you now. But we'll meet each other soon. Where are the other three?"

"My father means nothing to Charmcaster or to Grandma Verdona. You should know them well enough to know they would not turn themselves over to you because of him," Lucky Girl said.

"What about your cousin Ben? I'm sure he cares about his uncle," Hex replied in a calm, cold tone.

"I will not let you put your hands on him. If you do, you'll deliver him to Vilgax and he will be tortured and killed. I'm not going to trade my cousin's life for my father's life." Lucky Girl replied angrily, "But here I am. You won't gain anything if you kill my father other than my perpetual hatred. But let him go and I will surrender in good terms."

Hex remained silent for a few seconds, and Lucky Girl broke out in a cold sweat. She was afraid for her father's life, and Benmummy felt the same, not only because the telepathic connection between them was projecting Gwen's thoughts and feelings to his mind, but also because Ben loved his Uncle Frank and cared a lot for him.

To their relief, Hex nodded affirmatively, "We have a deal."

A white portal opened in the middle of the room.

"Come inside," Hex ordered.

Lucky Girl obeyed. As she crossed to the other side, she found herself in a huge spaceship. In front of her, there were dozens of evolved Anodites - no longer beings of flesh and blood, but beings of energy - they were responsible for creating the portal. Lucky Girl and Benmummy guessed that, like Bob Salas, they were working for Hex against their will, with their children being held hostage.

Very soon the cousins realized that this was a Vilgaxian spaceship. There were squid-faced soldiers everywhere, far more numerous than the Anodites. Lucky Girl also saw her father Frank at gunpoint held by two of them.

"Let this civilian go!" Lucky Girl ordered, in a cold tone, trying her best not to show any emotion in order to protect her secret identity. Hex already knew, but the Vilgaxians - and possibly her father - didn't.

The two Vilgaxian soldiers carried Frank by the arms and pushed him through the portal, sending him to Earth. Other soldiers searched Lucky Girl for weapons or any magical artifacts she might have been carrying. They found nothing. The Vilgaxians put an iron collar on Lucky Girl to block her powers and led her through the interior of the ship until they ordered her to get inside a smaller ship.

A gate in the hangar opened, and, piloted by a Vilgaxian soldier, the smaller ship flew into space. Looking through the glass, Lucky Girl could see that they were close to a red planet with orange rings around it. She knew it was Anodyne. A few minutes later, the ship landed on the planet.

Despite the situation, Lucky Girl couldn't help but feel amazed by the fact that she was putting her feet on the home planet of her ancestors. The sight of the sky was beautiful. Although it was night, the bright shine from the orange rings illuminated the sky. She could smell magic in the air of the planet. The soil was red, and there were weird trees with even weirder fruits, an exotic beauty.

The Vilgaxian soldier led Lucky Girl into a huge clearing. He ordered her to sit down and wait. A few minutes later, Lucky Girl spotted something big in the sky flying toward the clearing. Something about the size of an airplane - maybe 30 meters?

As it approached, Lucky Girl and Benmummy finally realized what it was. A huge black dragon. And Hex himself was riding it, very comfortable.

_"Crap, I think defeating Hex will not be as easy as I thought it would be..."_ Benmummy thought.

**To be continued...**


	24. Plans Within Plans

**Plans Within Plans**

* * *

**Gwen**

* * *

"Hello, my dear granddaughter. I'm happy to finally meet you," Hex said from the top of the huge black dragon.

"Too bad I can't say the same," Lucky Girl replied dryly.

"You will, someday," Hex said with a neutral expression on his face, "Come up here. Don't worry, my dragon won't bite you."

Lucky Girl obeyed and climbed up on the beast, using the spikes on the dragon's neck for support. The presence of the dragon made everything more difficult but didn't actually change anything. She hoped Hex would take her to the place where he was keeping the hostages, the children of the Coven members, so she and Ben could free them.

"As long as I'm here, my dragon won't hurt anyone unless I order it to. Of course, if anything happens to me, he would turn into a mad, out of control beast," Hex gave a clear warning for Lucky Girl not to try any tricks.

Hex had planned everything carefully. Lucky Girl unconsciously remembered the many times her mother Natalie had sat with her, and filled up a board with post-its detailing Gwen's schedule: lessons, dancing, karate, studying at home, free-time. Everything planned down to the last detail.

 _"Oh, you and Aunt Natalie got this from him."_ Benmummy certainly picked up on her thoughts through the telepathic connection between them.

 _"Shut your mouth, Doofus! I didn't get anything from Hex!"_ Gwen 'thought' back to him, refusing to acknowledge any similarity between herself and Hex.

_"Technically, I have no mouth in this alien form so I can't shut-"_

Gwen imagined herself punching Ben's arm very hard, and projected that thought to him.

 _"OUCH! That was so not cool!"_ Benmummy complained.

The dragon flew over large areas covered by the exotic vegetation of Anodyne. Since that world had been uninhabited by Sorcerers for many centuries, nature had taken over almost everything. The dragon landed next to a big mountain.

"Follow me." Hex climbed down from the beast very easily, and stretched out his hand for Lucky Girl. Obviously, she climbed down on her own, and refused assistance from Hex.

There was a hole on the bottom of the mountain. The dragon stood outside, while Hex and Lucky Girl entered inside the mountain. Hex put a blindfold over Lucky Girl's eyes. They walked for several minutes, and Lucky Girl realized that the mountain was almost hollow and its interior was a labyrinth filled with very long caves, with many forks along the way. It would be easy to get lost there for anyone who didn't know the place, and even if she weren't blindfolded, it would still be very hard to trace the way back without being able to mark the walls.

"How long do you intend to keep me prisoner?" Lucky Girl asked.

"Just long enough for a Vilgaxian fleet to arrive here. The ship in which you were, at the orbit of the planet, was brought here by a portal created by the evolved Anodites, but Vilgax won't risk losing an entire fleet if some of our friends stop caring about their offspring and decide to do some trick, like teleporting the ships to the middle of a sun. The fleet will arrive here in a few months. Anodyne is not only far from Earth, it's far from Vilgaxia as well. That explains why Vilgax hadn't already discovered this world before."

If an entire Vilgaxian fleet settled in Anodyne, not even all the Sorcerers together could take the planet back from them.

"What if Vilgax betrays you? Do you really trust him? "Lucky Girl tried to sow a seed of discord in Hex's mind.

"I don't trust anyone, but Vilgax has no reason to betray me. Historically, when Vilgax conquers a world, he always chooses a native from the conquered world to rule as regent for him, and he doesn't have a better candidate than I to rule Anodyne. Besides, I have a dragon," The dark wizard rationalized his argument.

Hex removed the blindfold from Lucky Girl's eyes when they reached a place where a group of dozens of sorcerers - the hostages - had been allocated to. Most of them, young people and children, but a few adults as well. They were being watched over by one man wearing a skull mask, which was certainly a tribute to his leader, Hex.

"No one tried to run away this time, Vicente?" Hex asked.

"No, master," the man replied.

"Good. I think they've learned that any resistance is useless," Hex replied with a grim smile, "This is my granddaughter. She will stay here with the others."

Hex left, leaving only Vicente to watch the group. Lucky Girl walked through the hostages, and a few moments later found her mother Natalie talking to a handsome teenage boy with light brown skin and black curly hair who looked strangely familiar. Next to them were two identical twin girls about 10 or 11 years old, who looked similar to the boy. They were probably his sisters.

Natalie saw Lucky Girl and walked towards her, wrapping her in a hug. "Gwen," she whispered in her ear, "I don't know if I'm happy to see you or sad to see you _here_. How is your father? Did Hex let him go? "

"Madam, I'm sorry, I don't know any Gwen," Lucky Girl tried to keep her secret, "But I saw your husband being sent back to Earth. No need to worry about him."

"Hex threw in my face that I know nothing about my own daughter. He told me that you and your cousin Ben are 'superheroes'." Natalie folded her arms.

 _"Crap! My secret identity went down the drain as well,"_ Benmummy thought. __  
  
"I'm disappointed that you're letting yourself be influenced by Ben and risking your life with something so irresponsible, but that's a conversation for another time," Natalie said.

Lucky Girl sighed. It would be another long, boring conversation, but fortunately her own mother didn't want to discuss it now, so she was more than happy to leave it for later. "Our concern has to be finding a way out of here."

"I've only been here for a few hours," Natalie said, "But that young man is Natan Salas. You might remember him. He's the son of that magician you like to see on TV, Bob Salas - and he's been here for several days already. I was just talking to him about that."

Natalie and Lucky Girl approached Natan and his sisters. Natan's jaw dropped when he saw the heroine.

"Hi, I'm Lucky Girl," she introduced herself.

The boy introduced himself and took a bow, "Hi. I'm Natan. These are my little sisters Anna and Hannah. It's a great pleasure to meet you, though obviously the circumstances could be better. People say that we should always look on the bright side of things. Definitely the bright side of this situation is meeting an angel like you."

"Natan's got a crush! Natan's got a crush!" The twins started to sing. Natan gave his sisters an angry glare and they stopped, but still kept a mischievous smile on their faces.

Lucky Girl blushed with the compliment.

 _"I don't trust this guy. We should stay away from him."_ Benmummy thought. Of course, he was just jealous.

"Thank you for the compliment," Lucky Girl finally answered Natan.

"I have to admit that I've been practicing it for a while," Natan said a little embarrassed.

"You expected to meet me?" Lucky Girl asked confused.

"Kind of. I always hoped that one day I would meet the most beautiful person in the world. So I always had to be ready, right?" Natan said with a big smile.

 _"Oh, come on! Your mom found out my secret identity and there is a guy hitting on you. I'm starting to think that the Charm of Luck that I touched doesn't actually work, and my better control over the Omnitrix is something else."_ Benmummy complained.

"Natan, I'm flattered, I really am, but I already-" she was going to say 'I already like someone else' but with her mother there, she couldn't say that without making Natalie even more suspicious of her and Ben. She paused, then added, "I'm not looking for a boyfriend right now."

"I understand this is not the time or the place for this," Natan lowered his head, "I'm sorry, Gwen."

"What? I don't know any Gwen," Lucky Girl replied surprised, once again trying to protect her secret identity.

"Don't worry, Gwen. I told him," Natalie intervened.

Lucky Girl stared at her mother in disbelief. "Natan, I'm sorry. My mom and I need to talk for a minute and we will be back soon." She pulled Natalie away from the Salas siblings, "Mom, what do you think you're doing? Revealing my secret identity to strangers? You're the one who always said I should be discreet and shouldn't tell anyone that I'm a witch! "

"And you haven't been following my advice, have you?" Natalie arched her eyebrows, "If you had, you wouldn't have told Ben anything and wouldn't be playing superhero."

"Completely different, Mom! Even as a superheroine, I keep my identity a secret from almost everyone. And Ben is family, we can trust him. I'm not saying we can't trust that boy and his sisters- "

 _"I say we can't, especially the boy."_ Benmummy thought.

"-on the contrary, I really believe they are good people, but we still can't reveal secrets to people we barely know!" Lucky Girl finished her sentence, ignoring Ben's disruption.

"I was wrong, Gwen." Natalie let out a long sigh. "I mean, not totally wrong, but a little wrong. I made you afraid to get close to people. And the only person you trusted enough to open up to was Ben, which made you and him a little bit _too_ close."

"What do you mean, Mom?" Lucky Girl could feel her cheeks turning red, "You know that Ben already has a girlfriend, and that we co-slept together without any malice-"

"I know. I believe you," Natalie said, "But still, you, two 16-year-olds, feeling comfortable sleeping on the same bed ... It's not normal for cousins. I know there's nothing wrong happening _yet_ , but it's better that you - the two of you, not just Ben - have other people in your life, so you're naturally going to start avoiding being too close to each other."

"Mother! I can't believe you want to get me a boyfriend here and now!" Lucky Girl whispered angrily.

"Of course not, Gwen. I just want to make sure when we're back on Earth, you and Natan have at least exchanged phone numbers," Natalie said.

Lucky Girl rolled her eyes.

"Can't you see that this is an opportunity, Gwen? I have always worried about the wrong person finding out that we are witches and exposing us as 'freaks' in front of all our friends and work colleagues. The possibility of you having a boyfriend or a close friend and wanting to tell them was something that always worried me," Natalie said, "The Salas family is in the same situation as us. We can trust them, and they can trust us. I'm not trying to push you to date that boy. But look at Natan, Anna, and Hannah. Wouldn't it be good if you had more friends - besides Ben - that you could talk to without having to hide who you are?"

Her mother's argument wasn't wrong. The only friends Gwen could really be honest with were Ben and Charmcaster. It would be good to have more friends.

"Okay, Mom, you're right. I'm going to try to befriend Natan and the girls. But don't expect anything more than friendship between me and Natan, okay?"

"It's good enough _for now_. But don't put him on 'friendzone', as you young people say." And then Natalie added with a mischievous grin, "I remember you watching Bob Salas doing his magic tricks on TV, and when Natan showed up as his assistant, he drew a lot of sighs from you... "

 _"What?! Gwen, I thought you liked me! I can't believe you have a crush on that guy!_ " Benmummy couldn't keep quiet anymore.

 _"Natan used to be my celebrity crush, but that was before I started liking you. You don't have to feel jealous, I've told you before, you're the one I love."_ Lucky Girl mentally replied to him.

Benmummy didn't say anything after Lucky Girl's reply.

"I know you're just shy, Gwen," Natalie wasn't even trying to hide her smile, "Let's talk more about this after we get off this planet."

Lucky Girl and Natalie went back to Natan, Anna and Hannah and continued to talk. Lucky Girl told Natan that she had seen his father, Bob, and that he was alright. Natan explained that a daily sun-bath was allowed to the hostages. There were about 100 people in there. They were separated into groups of ten, blindfolded, and taken off the mountain. They could bathe in a river - under the watchful eye of the huge dragon - eat fruit from the trees, and also collect fruit to eat inside later. Natan also told them that Hex had some minions who took turns watching the hostages, one at a time.

"There's only one person watching everyone in here?" Lucky Girl looked at Vicente, the henchman who was standing near the exit crack in the wall, "We have 100 people here. Even with these magic-inhibiting collars, we can easily handle one guy."

"You're right, but we've tried that already. It didn't end well," Natan said grimly, "A group of about 30 people tried to escape on the first day. We were all lost inside the mountain. This place is a real maze. Not even Hex's minions know how to move around here, they are blindfolded too, and it is Hex himself who takes them in and out."

"Hex found you guys?" Lucky Girl asked.

"Yes, less than two hours after the attempted escape all the fugitives had already been recaptured. Hex needs us alive to keep the Coven on a leash, but he doesn't need us intact." Natan lowered his head, "He made an example out of four of us. The first lost his right hand. The second, the left hand. The third, the right foot. The fourth, the left foot. I'm just relieved that my sisters and I were not picked by him."

"My God, Hex is a real monster," Lucky Girl said, horrified.

 _"I can only think of one way out of this, Gwen."_ Ben-Mummy thought, " _But for that I'm going to have to use an alien I don't like to use."_

 _"Ghostfreak."_ Lucky Girl soon guessed who Ben was talking about.

 _"Yes. My plan is to do something similar to what I did on the Spider-Apes' Island. I'll try to possess the dragon, and get rid of Hex and his minions. Then you guys kill the dragon and later we think of a way to talk to the evolved Anodites that are on that Vilgaxian ship in orbit,"_ Benmummy said.

 _"I think that's a good idea. If you have to kill Hex... "_ Lucky Girl paused. Hex was still her maternal grandfather, but she couldn't let that get in the way, _"... do not hesitate."_

"We have a strategy," Lucky Girl announced.

"I'm really sorry, Gwen, but I'm pretty sure no one here will try to run away after what happened last time. And I'm not going to risk my sisters' lives either," Natan said.

"Actually, for 'we', I meant me and my partner," Lucky Girl said, "Don't worry, we will not involve anyone else in this."

"Is Ben here?" Natalie asked in surprise.

Lucky Girl made a 'shh' gesture and stood up, walking toward Hex's minion Vicente, who was looking in the opposite direction. Lucky Girl took off her gloves, leaving Benmummy's bandages exposed. The bandages grabbed Vicente very quickly and threw him headfirst into the wall, knocking him out before he could realize what was happening.

All the hostages stared in astonishment at that scene, but no one moved toward the crack on the wall to leave that area. They were too scared to try anything.

Benmummy 'stepped out' of Lucky Girl's uniform and returned to his human form of Ben Tennyson - or rather, Watch Boy, the white-haired red-eyed fake look Ben used to preserve his secret identity in situations like that.

"Was he as a mummy underneath your clothes?" Natalie asked, frightened by that possibility.

Lucky Girl rolled her eyes, wondering how her mother could worry about something so small in a moment like that.

"No, Aunt Natalie. I was just covering her arms. Just the arms," Ben replied defensively.

It wasn't true, of course. That bundle of bandages wouldn't fit in Lucky Girl's arms alone. Benmummy had to spread his bandages all over her body - and deep down, Lucky Girl knew from the telepathic connection between them that Ben had enjoyed that a little bit too much. But it wasn't like he could control his own feelings and he didn't try to slip inside her undergarments, so Lucky Girl considered his behavior very respectful and professional. Of course, she knew that small lie that Ben had told her mother was far better than a detailed and awkward explanation of the truth.

"So, are you her boyfriend?" Natan asked Ben, clearly disappointed.

Ben glanced at Gwen's mother, took a deep breath and said, "No, I'm Lucky Girl's cousin." Sure enough, he would have said something else if his aunt wasn't there.

The disappointment on Natan's face was immediately replaced by a smile, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Ben didn't respond to Natan. He began dialing the Omnitrix. Under the effect of the Charm of Luck, the Omnitrix could transform him from one alien form to another without any waiting time.

"Wait, Ben, I'll go with you. Turn into some alien that can take off my inhibitor collar," Lucky Girl said.

"It's too dangerous!" Natalie intervened.

Lucky Girl frowned at her mother, "I'm not going to let Ben risk his life alone to save us."

Natalie didn't like it, but there was nothing she could do about it. Ben turned into Ripjaws, a humanoid fish with teeth and claws which could cut through metal. Ripjaws, very carefully, bit Lucky Girl's inhibiting collar and destroyed it. Then he turned back into Ben again.

"There's no time to take the collars off everyone," Ben said, "We have to act quickly before Hex realizes what's happening."

"But how are we going to get out of this labyrinth?" Lucky Girl asked.

"Ghostfreak has intangibility. I just need to fly in any direction and then we pass through all the walls until we get out of here," Ben replied.

Ben turned into Ghostfreak. He hugged Lucky Girl, making her intangible as well, and flew with her through the walls.

A couple of minutes later, outside the mountain, it wasn't difficult to find the huge dragon.

"Stay here," Ghostfreak said in his naturally freaky voice, "I'll take care of him."

Ghostfreak dissolved himself into a cloud of black smoke and flew into the beast's nostrils. The dragon squealed, seemingly resisting the possession. His eyes blinked, and alternated between natural eyes - orange-red serpent-like eyes - and Ghostfreaked eyes - eyes with a black sclera and white pupils. The beast dragged his wings, knocking over many trees in his path, nervous at Ghostfreak's attempt to take control of him.

Hex appeared and Lucky Girl immediately rushed towards him, before he could conjure a spell to expel Ghostfreak from the dragon. What she didn't realize at first was that Hex was accompanied by three minions, who quickly caught her in a magic bubble before she could attack him.

Hex extended the Staff of Ages towards the dragon and shouted, " _Exorcizamus te_!"

Immediately the black cloud left through the nostrils of the dragon and returned to the human form of Watch Boy. Ben tried to get up, but he was too groggy and Hex conjured a spell to immobilize him with tree roots before he could do anything.

The plan had failed completely.

"Dragons are not simple irrational beasts. They are even harder to possess than a strong-minded human. Only a few people like me know how to control a dragon," Hex said, "I'll deliver you to Vilgax, 'Watch Boy,' and collect my reward."

"NO!" Lucky Girl shouted desperately, "Vilgax is going to kill him. Please don't turn Ben over to him!"

"You ..." Hex spoke in an angry tone, "You promised me that you would surrender if I let your father go. I was generous and agreed. But trying to deceive me like this is not exactly surrendering. You have no right to ask me anything else, my ungrateful granddaughter."

"Please, please forgive me," Lucky Girl said, with tear-filled eyes, "I promise to do anything, to help you with any of your plans, just don't send Ben to die."

"Gwen, no!" Ben shouted, "Don't bow down to this bastard!"

Hex eyed her with curiosity, and then finally said, "You're in love with him too. Just like Charmcaster."

"Yes, I love him," Lucky Girl admitted in tears, "What can I do to save him? Please?"

Hex looked at her with a sad expression and said, "I won't hand him over to Vilgax."

Lucky Girl smiled, "Thank you, I knew there was some kindness left in you!"

But then Hex proceeded, "What if I give him to Vilgax and he finds a way to escape? I can't take risks. I can't have my granddaughter and my niece in love with a filthy human enemy of mine. I have to make sure he dies, here and now." Hex turned to the dragon, pointed his hand at Ben and yelled, "Fire!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Lucky Girl shouted as she saw the dragon opening his mouth and spitting a torrent of fire at Ben.

**To be continued...**


	25. The Dragon

**The Dragon**

* * *

**Ben**

* * *

Ben, completely immobilized, closed his eyes, wishing only for the fire to kill him quickly without causing too much pain.

He heard the roar of the dragon and felt the fire touch him, but strangely he felt no pain at all. The tree roots that restrained him melted and he could move his hands freely. Was he still alive?

The roar ceased. Ben opened his eyes and finally realized that he had turned into Heatblast! Hex and his henchmen watched in astonishment, and Lucky Girl had a smile on her face from ear to ear, still trapped inside a mana bubble.

"Oh, yeah, baby! I am the unburnt! Or rather, I'm the one who burns the others!" Heatblast shot fireballs at Hex's minions who lost their focus, undoing the mana bubble that trapped Lucky Girl. Once she was free, the heroine rushed to Heatblast's side.

"My dragon can still chew you to pieces! Your fire does not hurt him at all," Hex shouted, and the dragon tilted his head dangerously towards Heatblast.

Lucky Girl quickly positioned herself in front of Heatblast like a human shield.

"Get out of the way, my ungrateful granddaughter!" Hex yelled.

"No! If you want to get to Ben, your dragon will have to kill me first, Hex!" Lucky Girl challenged her maternal grandfather.

Hex took a deep breath and began to speak in a quiet and somber tone, "Do you know how old I am? Do you know how long I dreamed of leading the sorcerers? "

Lucky Girl was silent.

"I'm hundreds of years old. I can have other children and grandchildren, but I will not have an opportunity like this to ascend to the leadership of my peers ever again. You have one last chance to abandon this pathetic excuse of a hero and stand by my side, or you will suffer the consequences with him," Hex said.

Suddenly, Heatblast felt a strong propulsion and found himself flying up very fast, with Lucky Girl next to him.

"What's happening?" Lucky Girl asked, startled.

"It's you, Gwen! You're making us fly!" They were both enveloped in the characteristic blue glow of Gwen's magic.

"Me? Maybe it was an involuntary reaction triggered by Hex's threat?" As soon as Lucky Girl realized she was making them fly, they both stopped in mid-air.

"Uh-oh ... AAAAAAAAH," now they were in a free fall, "Less thinking and more magic! Make us fly again, Gwen!"

"I don't know how to control this!" Lucky Girl screamed, "Ben, please use one of your aliens!"

Heatblast turned back to Ben and then into Stinkfly and grabbed Lucky Girl, "And the hero saves the dweeb in distress!"

But Stinkfly spoke too soon. They heard a big noise of wings flapping against the wind and realized the dragon was flying towards them.

The insect-like alien flew as fast as he could, trying to get away from the dragon. But the beast began to spit huge fireballs at them, and Stinkfly had to zigzag to avoid the fire - which slowed him down. And the dragon was getting closer...

"He's gonna get us!" Lucky Girl shouted.

Suddenly, a blue portal appeared out of nowhere in front of them. Stinkfly flew with Gwen through the portal and it immediately closed after. Stinkfly looked down and saw Anodyne's exotic trees - they were still on the planet - but no sign of the dragon anywhere near them now.

"I think you teleported us, Gwen." Stinkfly landed on the ground.

"Did I?" Lucky Girl was still a bit confused, "Of course I did. And the heroine saves the doofus in distress."

"At least we got some time to breathe," Ben turned back to normal.

"But he still has that dragon." Lucky Girl sat on the ground, crestfallen, "That's why he didn't even bother to 'evolve'. My grandmother told me that others are still not sure if Albedo's evolution device can cause any problems in the long term. Why would Hex risk using it? He already has a dragon, he doesn't need anything else. We will never defeat him and take the hostages safely out of here."

Realizing that he and his cousin were too tired, Ben gave a suggestion, "I think we both haven't slept in over a day. We'll probably figure out a way out of this problem if we get some sleep."

Lucky Girl nodded in agreement. She took off the mask and undid the spell to change her looks, reverting her black hair and purple eyes to her natural red hair and green eyes.

It was cold, so Ben turned into Heatblast again and created a small campfire for the two to warm up. Meanwhile Gwen set up a bed of leaves for them to sleep on.

Ben laid down, and Gwen laid on top of him - a rather comfortable position for the young lad. Gwen began to caress his face, "Hex almost killed you today. I'm so glad you're okay. "

"Oh, that was nothing. I can deal with your psychopath grandfather. I'm much more worried about your mother actually. She is trying to get a boyfriend for you, that Natan Salas guy, that's much more difficult to handle." Ben played with his cousin's hair.

Gwen chuckled, "Only you would make me laugh in a moment like this, Doofus."

Ben's eyes were glued to her face. She was his cousin, but she was also the most beautiful girl in the world. As a cousin, he wanted the best for her. As a man, he wanted _her_. The question that kept coming to his head was, "Is there a conflict of interests between Cousin Ben and Man Ben?"

It was easy to dismiss that thought when Kevin was hitting on Gwen. Even Gwen's mother would admit that between her daughter dating a cousin or a psychopath, the cousin would be the lesser of two evils.

But Natan seemed kind, polite and respectful. He was very handsome, charming and he was not her cousin. Ben was ashamed of that, but he was secretly hoping that Natan would be working for Hex, so he would have a good reason to see himself as the best option between the two of them. But if Natan was actually a genuinely good guy... Cousin Ben would say that Gwen should go with Nathan, while Man Ben would want Gwen for himself.

"What are you thinking about, Doofus?" Gwen asked with a smile, gently rubbing her fingers on his cheek. Feeling her body - and her "assets" - on top of him, feeling her touch, looking at her perfect face... Goodbye, Cousin Ben. Man Ben was definitely in charge now.

He began kissing her. He kissed her hair, her ear and her cheek again and again. Ben tried to kiss her on the mouth, but she turned away from the kiss.

"Ben, you know we can't ..." Gwen said, "Remember our deal: just cousins until we're officially adults. My mother is already starting to become suspicious of things as they are."

"We're alone here, Gwenny-poo. Just a few harmless kisses," Ben pouted.

"These 'harmless kisses' are already making your 'wand' poke my belly, so they can turn into something very serious if we don't stop now," Gwen replied, "You can give me one last goodnight kiss - on the cheek."

Ben gave Gwen a long kiss, pressing her lips against her cheek for several seconds to savor Gwen's smooth skin as much as possible. Then they both fell asleep.

* * *

Looking around, Ben realized he was no longer in a forest in Anodyne. He was on a beautiful beach that seemed endless. Ben saw that there were two other people there with him: Gwen and Hope. He blushed, noticing that he was in swimming trunks and Gwen and Hope were in bikinis. There was no one else there besides them.

"How did the three of us get here?" Ben asked approaching them.

"We're dreaming," Gwen replied.

"I think we're in your dream, Red. I know I didn't cast any spell to pull you two into my dreams," Hope said.

"Me neither," Gwen shrugged.

"But you're in Anodyne. Verdona always said that if we were in Anodyne, magic would come much more naturally to us. Have you felt any differences in your powers?"

"Gwen flew involuntarily. And she teleported us too, purely out of instinct," Ben said.

"Flying and teleporting are things that take a long time for sorcerers to learn, and you're doing it on instinct..." Hope arched an eyebrow, "Yeah, Red, I have no doubt we're in your dream. Ben and I with you in a desert beach? I already had a suspicion that, despite your angelic face, you were a naughty one," she smirked.

"SHUT UP!" Gwen shouted. Her face turned red - either embarrassment or anger, probably both - and she remained silent for a few moments before finally speaking again, "Ok, I think I have an actual reason for my subconscious pulling you into my dream, CC. You might be able to help us. Hex has a dragon. Did you know that? Do you know how to kill the beast?"

The expression on Hope's face shifted from playful to worried, "His name is Badret ... It's like he's our family's pet, Red. My father used to take care of him before he was... killed. An ancestor of ours did a blood magic thing to create a bond with dragons. His descendants can tame dragons more easily than other people."

"Can you teach me how to tame Hex's dragon so he doesn't attack Ben and I?" Gwen asked.

"I could get him to accept you under normal circumstances. But Badret is obeying Hex now, and he doesn't even know you. You definitely won't be able to make him listen to you," Hope replied.

"CC, if you were here, the dragon would obey you, right?" Ben asked.

"Badret likes me, maybe more than he likes Hex. I think he would, yes," Hope said hesitantly.

"I'm sure if you let yourself be captured, Hex will order for you to be brought here. We can save you, then we take care of Hex and you talk to the dragon," Gwen said.

"Hex would use the mind control spell against me. It won't matter if the dragon is obeying me if I'm obeying Hex," Hope replied.

"Grandma Verdona was able to get you off the spell's influence, I might be able to do that too," Gwen said.

"It wouldn't work," Hope said, "It would drain you for a good while, and Hex could immediately re-trigger the spell again if he's nearby."

"Isn't there anything else?" Gwen asked.

Hope bit her lip.

"You know something." Gwen arched her eyebrows, "Come on."

"I was talking to Verdona, and maybe there's something else that might work temporarily, but there's no guarantee it will actually work. It might even make things worse," Hope said.

"Desperate times, desperate measures," Ben said. Gwen nodded in agreement.

"Do you know when Ben is as Magus Viridis and you two touch, fusing your auras? The mind control spell acts directly through the magical aura. If I merge my aura with that of another person, there is a possibility of Hex's spell not being able to breach through a more powerful combined aura," and then she added after a dramatic pause, "Or maybe it will, and Hex will end up controlling my mind and that of the other person."

"For two auras to merge, there has to be a connection between the two people, but it doesn't have to be romantic," Gwen said, "CC, you and I are cousins, family. We might be able to fuse our auras."

"It could work. But even if it works, it's still possible that Hex will end up controlling both of us," Hope warned.

"We have to take a chance," Gwen said, "We have no better plan to defeat a 100 foot tall dragon. It's this or nothing. We're going to do it. You let yourself get captured by Hex's minions-"

"Wait a minute," Hope interrupted her, "You forgot that I'm not a hero like you two. I don't do this kind of thing."

"We're out of options. Hex will kill us. Please, we need you, CC," Ben pleaded.

"And you know that as soon as Hex takes control of Anodyne, the next thing he's going to do is send his minions to look for you on Earth," Gwen said, "You don't want to spend the rest of your life hiding from him, CC. This is your best chance to fight."

"Okay, I'll go," Hope sighed, "I swear, I don't know if you're my friends or my enemies."

"I consider you my best frenemy," Gwen said with a smile.

"Hey, I thought I was your best frenemy, Dweeb!" Ben said looking at Gwen in surprise, "Now I'm getting jealous."

* * *

Hours later, Ben and Gwen saw the huge black dragon again flying in the sky.

"The ship with Charmcaster must have arrived, and Hex is probably on his way to get her." Gwen put on her Lucky Girl mask.

Ben turned into XLR8 and grabbed Lucky Girl, "Let's follow them through the ground."

A few minutes later, XLR8 and Lucky Girl approached a clearing, where Charmcaster was being watched by two Vilgaxian soldiers.

"The right one is mine, left one is yours," Lucky Girl said. The young heroes surprised the Vilgaxian soldiers and knocked them out, XLR8 with quick punches and kicks and Lucky Girl with blasts of mana.

XLR8 turned back to Ben and then into Ripjaws. With his sharp teeth - and surgical precision - Ripjaws freed Charmcaster from the iron inhibiting collar around her neck.

"I almost didn't come, you know that?" Charmcaster said.

"I knew you'd make the right call," Ben said with a smile.

"Honestly, I'm still not sure if I did." Charmcaster fixed her ponytail, "I actually think the three of us should leave now. The small ship these Vilgaxian soldiers used to bring me here from their mother ship is back there. If Ben turns into Upgrade we can use it to leave this planet. There's still time to give up on that crazy idea of facing Hex."

A small black dot on the horizon approached, growing in size - it was the dragon, and Hex was certainly riding him.

Lucky Girl turned to Ben, wrapped her hands around his neck and pressed her forehead against his, "Ben, if the plan goes wrong and Hex ends up controlling me and CC, I want you to do what CC suggested and get off this planet."

"No way," Ben replied emphatically, "I will never leave you two behind."

Gwen sighed. Ben imagined she knew it was useless to argue with him. Then she smiled and surprised him with a kiss on the mouth. It was a short, bittersweet kiss, because it was almost a way to say goodbye in case something bad were to happen. But, still, it was a wonderful kiss and made Ben feel in the clouds.

"I guess now it was my turn to steal a good luck kiss from you, lucky boy," Lucky Girl smiled.

"You can steal as many kisses as you want from me," Ben replied.

Lucky Girl positioned herself, preparing for the imminent arrival of Hex.

And then Charmcaster turned to Ben, "There's something I need to tell you." She cupped his face in her hands, "If the plan goes wrong and Hex takes away my free will again, I want you to know that I love you."

She was admitting that she had feelings for him. Ben blushed and didn't know what to say, but he knew he had to let her know - in a gentle way - that in his heart there was only room for Gwen. Before he could say anything, though, the silver-haired witch gave him a quick peck on the mouth.

Then the dragon landed on the ground. At least that simplified things. There was a bad guy who needed to be defeated. Everything else could be solved after this was over. Lucky Girl also didn't seem happy with the fact that Charmcaster had kissed Ben, but she also knew that this was a problem for later.

Lucky Girl and Charmcaster held hands.

Hex levitated from the dragon to the ground. He seemed to have no difficulty with flying. Ben gulped, Hex was indeed a very powerful sorcerer.

The villain chuckled, "I knew it was too much of a coincidence that my niece was captured shortly after the two of you escaped. I still came here because, honestly, any plan you have in mind won't work. "

"Pride goes before the fall," Lucky Girl said. She firmly held Charmcaster's hand.

"Gwendolyn, Hope, you've fused your auras, I see that. You probably think that this will stop me from using my mind control spell, but it won't. On the contrary, I will control both of you. It's actually better for you that way too, Gwendolyn, so I won't have to hurt you," Hex said, and then shouted, " _Imperius Maledictum!_ Now, kneel before your master, my kin."

Ben noticed that Lucky Girl and Charmcaster began to sweat. That was not a good sign... A few seconds later, they were on their knees.

Both were under the effect of the spell now.

Ben could see the desperate look in the girl's eyes. They both were silently saying, _"Run, Ben! Get out of here!"_ _  
_  
Hex turned to Ben with a grim smile on his face, "I have a dragon, two powerful witches under my control, and my own powers. Surrender, and your death will be swift. It's no good trying to run away. "

"Who said I want to run away?" Ben dialed the Omnitrix, "Going hero!"

Ben slammed the watch and transformed. He was still looking exactly the same, but now he was wearing leather boots and a belt, rustic pale green clothes, and a dark green cloak. He was now Magus Viridis, a wizard.

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	26. The End of a Beginning

**The End of a** **Beginning**

* * *

_"What does that Doofus think he's doing? Why isn't he trying to run away?"_ Lucky Girl's worried thoughts also echoed in Charmcaster's mind, since the two had merged their auras before.

Charmcaster was worried too. She knew that Ben - "Magus Viridis" - was a powerful wizard, but not even half as powerful as Hex. And definitely much less powerful than a dragon. He had no chance.

Charmcaster let go of Lucky Girl's hand to break their bond so, even if she was still under Hex's control, at least Gwen could help Magus.

But Lucky Girl's knees seemed glued to the ground in obedience to Hex's previous order to kneel. And Charmcaster was still able to read Lucky Girl's thoughts and feel her desperation, despite them not being in physical contact with each other anymore.

"You shouldn't have tried to merge your magical auras as a defensive move against a powerful spell, children," Hex said with a grim smile, "What you did was smashing two different pieces of play dough together. It's very hard to fully separate them later. Gwendolyn, you're still carrying bits of Hope's aura with you. And, because of that, you're still under my control," then Hex turned his attention to Magus Viridis, "Interesting, you can turn into a wizard. Now it makes a little more sense why my niece and granddaughter fell in love with you."

Hex was wrong, of course. Charmcaster knew that what Lucky Girl felt about Ben had nothing to do with an alien form. As for what she felt for Ben herself... it was too complicated to explain the reasons.

"But I don't have time to waste, let's get this over with already," Hex said, pointing the Staff of Ages in Magus Viridis' direction.

"Calm down," Magus raised his hands, "I said I didn't want to run, but I didn't say I want to fight. I don't. What I want is to propose an alliance."

 _"Ben is distracting Hex,"_ Lucky Girl thought, and Charmcaster realized that Gwen was finally a little less desperate, _"I think he has a real plan..."_

"You see, I don't need to be a 'filthy human'. I can be a sorcerer just like you. There is no need to shed a fellow brother's blood, is there? You hide me from Vilgax and let me work for you. In return, I assure you that your granddaughter and niece will be willing to cooperate with you," Magus Viridis slowly approached the girls.

"I'll have to take precautions to ensure your loyalty," Hex said, focused, with his eyes half-shut.

"Of course," Magus Viridis said, "What if you put me under that 'imperius' spell with Hope and Gwen?" He took both Lucky Girl's and Charmcaster's hands in his.

Charmcaster immediately felt Magus' aura connecting with hers and Gwen's. The feeling was as if the three of them were in the sea with pleasant waves washing over them. It was a dangerous move, because Hex could very well take control of all three of them. Or maybe together they would be strong enough to resist.

"I didn't allow you to do this!" Hex yelled furious," _Imperius Maledictum_!"

The trio felt a strong energy coming from Hex trying to subdue them, but they managed to resist.

" _Imperius Maledictum_! IMPERIUS MALEDICTUM!" The Dark Wizard shouted again, and the trio could see a thick red energy trying to envelop them.

 _"Together, let's push him away!"_ Lucky Girl yelled in her thoughts. They held each other's hands tight, and their combined aura was able to 'burn off' Hex's spell.

"We did it!" Charmcaster shouted.

"We can let go of each other's hands. We worry about how badly we messed up with our auras later, for now let's exploit the advantage of having a permanent bond and attack Hex from all sides," Lucky Girl said.

It didn't take long for Hex to realize how vulnerable he was with three opponents cornering him, "Let's make this a little bit fairer," he turned to the dragon and ordered, "Kill the boy!"

Charmcaster immediately placed herself in front of Ben and shouted, "Bradet, please don't do this!"

The dragon inclined his head dangerously close to Charmcaster, and began smelling her. Charmcaster's heart skipped a beat. Bradet used to like her, but she hadn't seen the dragon ever since she was a small child, before her father's death. She had no real idea if Bradet would still recognize her or not.

Charmcaster took a deep breath and gently stroke the dragon's snout with her hands, "You remember me, don't you, Bradet?" To her relief, the beast seemed to be comfortable around her, "Good boy, good boy."

"I gave you an order! Kill the boy!" Hex shouted, inciting the dragon to attack Ben.

"No, Badret! Stay put," Charmcaster commanded.

The dragon turned his head a few times from Charmcaster to Hex in confusion, but he ultimately fixed his gaze on the young silver-haired witch, in a sign that he was willing to obey her.

 _"It's our turn now,"_ The minds of Charmcaster, Lucky Girl and Magus Viridis were in perfect sync, "MERCUTA VERDITIS!" The three shouted at the same, launching a very powerful blast of mana at Hex, who, taken by surprise, had no time to conjure a shield to protect himself. The Dark Wizard was knocked out cold by the trio's combined magic.

* * *

With Hex defeated and the dragon on their side, it wasn't very hard for Charmcaster, Magus Viridis and Lucky Girl to make Hex's minions give up and free the hostages. Hex and all his men were safely restrained, wearing the same kind of power inhibiting iron collars that were used against the hostages before. And after the hostages were safe, a message was sent to the evolved Anodites, and they destroyed the Vilgaxian ship in the orbit of the planet. Less than an hour later, they were on the surface of the planet reunited with their children.

Charmcaster received a lot of attention from a group of former hostages. They were grateful to be rescued, and many were curious to see the dragon Badret up close. Some even had the courage to touch him.

A boy named George asked for a kiss, "Do you want to kiss the dragon?" Charmcaster asked in surprise.

"No, I want to kiss you," the boy replied, blushing a little. Charmcaster smiled and let George kiss her on the cheek

"You're staying here in Anodyne with us, right, beautiful?" a girl asked, and Charmcaster could swear the girl was flirting with her too.

"I honestly didn't think about that," Charmcaster answered. She wasn't expecting to be pampered like a hero. She used to be Hex's sidekick, she thought everyone would want to see her gone from Anodyne as quickly as possible. Charmcaster had to think about what she would do next.

"Stay! Stay! Stay!" The whole group began to hum and clap. Charmcaster, a little embarrassed, apologized and said she had to look for her friends.

She found Ben and Gwen lying on the grass watching the sunset - or rather, sunsets. Anodyne had two suns. It was a wonderful sight.

"Hi, CC," Ben said. He was still in his Magus Viridis form, "Lay down here with us. The atmosphere here is so much better than in the middle of that crowd."

"I really doubt that you weren't enjoying the attention, Ben. I think you just want to avoid a certain Natan from flirting with your cousin," Charmcaster said with a smirk. She had noticed that while Ben and Gwen were amongst the other sorcerers, a very handsome boy - Natan Salas - didn't take his eyes off Gwen. Thanks to the bond, Charmcaster literally felt Ben boiling with jealousy. She decided to have a little more fun at Ben's expense, "I'll admit it, if Gwen was willing to try a girls' love with me, I would forget you in a heartbeat for her. So I can't really blame Natan for trying to steal her from you."

"I think I'm going to take back my invitation for you to stay here with us, CC," Magus Viridis said, very annoyed, while Gwen began to laugh.

Charmcaster laid there and the trio remained silent for a few minutes just enjoying the sight.

Then Charmcaster said, "It's funny that you kind of made me achieve a dream, but not in the way I expected. I always wanted to feel the love of a wizard in a bond. By bonding with you two, I'm being able to feel all the love you have for each other. Of course I expected to feel that between myself and another person, not between two other people. I've dated wizards before, but a bond never happened."

"Don't worry," Gwen said, "Grandma Verdona said almost all your ex-boyfriends were sleazebags. That kind of person seldom feels anything real for anyone. You just have to find a good guy, and I'm sure you'll form a connection with him. I'm sure there are lots of nice guys waiting for you on Earth."

Charmcaster chuckled, "You forgot I am a villain wanted by the authorities on Earth. Nice guys usually don't date wanted criminals."

"Hex will get arrested," Gwen said, "You can follow your own path now. You don't have to be a 'villain' anymore."

"You put yourself in danger and came to Anodyne when you could have stayed hidden on Earth, and you tamed the dragon. This time you were the one who saved the day, not us. I'd say you are a great heroine," Ben said.

"Yes, I think I'm kind of a heroine... here, at least," Charmcaster said, more to herself than to her friends. After a few moments of silence she spoke again, "And that's why I'll stay here."

"WHAT?" Ben and Gwen immediately stood up in shock.

"I'll have more opportunities here, amongst my peers, in a place where people admire me instead of fear me. I can have a fresh start," Charmcaster said, "Deep down, you know that's the best for me too, guys."

"W-What about u-us? Y-You can't a-abandon us," Gwen said, her voice cracked and tears began to form.

"Please don't leave," Ben pleaded in a sad tone.

"Bonding with the two of you made me see how silly I was. I thought one day you two were going to wake up, decide that you were better off as just cousins and Ben would fall in love with me the same way he fell in love with Gwen. But that would never happen," Charmcaster said, with a sad smile. But then it shifted to a happy smile, "You two love each other more than anything and I know that nothing will separate you, not the society, not friends, not even your family. I know it's probably unnecessary, but I also have a warning for you two. Ben, if you don't take good care of our cousin in common, I'll come back to kick your butt. And, Gwen, if you don't take good care of our sweetheart in common, I'll come back to kick your butt too."

Both Ben and Gwen had tears in their eyes and, through the bond, Charmcaster felt their sadness. But Charmcaster knew that this would be better for them as well. What did she have to offer to them? Magic? Gwen could do that. To be Gwen's best friend? Ben could do that. To be Ben's girlfriend? Gwen could do that. To be Gwen's cousin? Ben could do that. The only thing she could do was ruin their relationship with each other.

Suddenly, they heard in the distance some people calling for them, "Charmcaster! Lucky Girl! Magus Viridis!" The trio ran toward the voices.

"I'm glad we could find you," a young witch said, "Hex's trial will begin soon."

* * *

The trial took place in the ruins of an ancient castle, which many centuries ago was probably a beautiful and imposing structure. Around Hex, there was a group of beings whose bodies were pure mystical energy - the Evolved Anodites, members of the Coven.

They spent a good amount of time detailing Hex's long list of crimes. Use of forbidden black magic - not only the mind-control spell he had used on Charmcaster but also other much worse spells - multiple murders - with both sorcerers and humans as victims - and now crimes such as kidnapping, mutilation - of the hostages he had cut limbs - and a threat to Anodyne's sovereignty - for almost having made the planet become part of the Vilgaxian Empire.

By unanimous decision, it was decided that Hex's punishment would be death. Charmcaster's heart skipped a beat when she heard the sentence. She had no doubt that Hex was a horrible person, but he was still her uncle.

"Wait!" Charmcaster shouted, "Can't you just lock him up?"

"We will not go back on our decision, child," A male Evolved Anodite said.

"Charmcaster!" Hex shouted angrily, and then turned to the evolved Anodites, "I accept my sentence. Please allow me some last words in private with my niece."

"Be quick," A female Evolved Anodite spoke up.

Charmcaster approached Hex and whispered, "I think I can find a way to get you out of this alive, Uncle," she said.

Hex laughed with an evil expression on his face, "Don't call me uncle. I'm ashamed to be related to a worthless and pathetic person like you. You ruined my plans. If you put me in any prison, I'll free myself and kill you and your friends, you idiot."

Charmcaster boiled in anger and was about to hit Hex, when she suddenly realized what he was doing and then relaxed, "You're the most manipulative person I know. You would never be stupid enough to threaten the only person who is in a position to save your life, unless... You don't want me to try to save you. Why?"

The evil expression faded from Hex's face. He took a deep breath and whispered, "I've never been a good uncle. I manipulated you, I hit you whenever you disobeyed me, I brainwashed you and made you betray your friends. At least once I want to do the right thing. You earned the Evolved Anodites' respect because you saved the hostages, you have a chance to live a good life here. I can't let you ruin your life for me. I don't deserve it. I taught you something, and I want you to put it into practice today: be selfish, do what is best for you. And the best thing for you is to let me die."

"Uncle," Charmcaster said with tears in her eyes, "You are still the person who took me out of the orphanage, raised me, and I know there were a few moments that you showed love for me too."

"I just did it to manipulate you. I wanted a powerful sidekick loyal to me, not a niece," Hex said.

"I don't care. You're still my uncle, no matter what," Charmcaster said. And then she addressed the Evolved Anodites, "I have something to tell you!"

"Damn it!" Hex yelled, "Charmcaster, no!"

"You all know Vilgax now knows about this planet. Now that Hex has been defeated, he may give up on conquering Anodyne or not. If he attacks, a dragon would be very useful. And if you kill Hex, I'll go back to Earth with my dragon. If you leave Hex alive, I promise that my dragon will help to protect this planet," Charmcaster said.

The Evolved Anodites talked amongst themselves for a few minutes, and then they said, "We don't want your uncle here after all he did. And if you want to stand by him, we don't want you here either. You teach someone else to tame your dragon, and then take your uncle back to Earth with you and don't come back."

* * *

Charmcaster knew it would be better for Badret to stay in Anodyne rather than on Earth. She remembered that on Earth her father had to leave him locked up almost all the time. Badret was not exactly a harmless animal and her father had to keep him well fed with cattle from his farm to prevent Badret from hunting humans. Also, if he were to fly on the loose he could end up being killed by the human authorities, who definitely weren't fans of dragon.

In the following days, the Coven brought many wizards and witches to Anodyne. A few of them were descendants of Charmcaster's ancestor who had an affinity with dragons, and Charmcaster taught a fourth cousin of hers how to tame Badret.

After she had positioned herself against punishing Hex with death, Charmcaster lost all her previous 'popularity' and no other sorcerer besides Lucky Girl and Magus Viridis was talking to her anymore. Now she couldn't wait to get off the planet.

"Ben, Gwen, you two agree with the others. You think I made a mistake. Why haven't you stopped talking to me?" Charmcaster asked in a dry tone.

"We think you were wrong, yes, but only because you wasted an opportunity to do something that you wanted for someone who wasn't worth it, even though we're glad you're coming back to Earth with us. Remember when we met you and you even admired Hex? Grandma Verdona always told me to be patient with you because you were raised by him. We've never stopped talking to you over that," Gwen said, and Ben nodded in agreement, "You know that he's a bad guy now, but he's still your uncle, and it's only natural that you don't want him to die."

"Thanks, guys," Charmcaster hugged Ben and Gwen.

* * *

The vestigial bond between the trio finally faded away after a couple of days. Back on Earth, at Verdona's house, Charmcaster received at last some good news.

"I thought a lot and I decided to stay on Earth," Verdona told the trio with a smile on her face, "Anodyne is beautiful, but my family is here. I'd rather be here with you than alone there."

Hope and Gwen ran to Verdona and hugged her very tight. Of course they were the family Verdona was referring to.

"I'm going to get very busy around here too," Verdona said, "The Coven members who stayed here invited me to join the brand-new Earth Coven. Now, in honor of our human brothers and sisters, we, sorcerers who decided not to go through the evolution procedure and stayed on Earth, will be called _Homo sapiens magi_ and the sorcerers who went to Anodyne will stay with the name _Anodites_."

"How many sorcerers decided to stay on Earth?" Ben asked.

"A lot. Some of them are married to humans and have deep roots here. Like that famous stage-magician, you must have heard of him, Bob Salas."

Ben made a noise that sounded like a growl, "Does that mean his son, Natan, is staying on Earth as well?"

"I think so," Verdona said, unaware of the reason behind Ben's annoyance.

"Crap!" Ben shouted.

* * *

Hex was sent to a prison specifically made for wizards and witches. After Verdona learned that the prisoners of S.E.C.T. were used to do black-ops missions in the Dark Squad, the sorcerers' community had reactivated their previously defunct prison on Earth, located on an isolated hidden island. The place was awful, but that didn't stop Charmcaster from visiting her uncle.

"I appreciate what you did for me, Charmcaster," Hex was talking to her from behind iron bars, "I promise I will not tell the secret identities of my granddaughter and of the boy to anyone. I know the wizards here are trying to find a way to get past my mental defenses and erase certain details from my mind as well, but I want you to know that I'll keep this secret no matter what. And I also have a reward for you: The Grimoire of Archamada, my own spell book."

Charmcaster arched her eyebrows, "A book full of black magic spells, I presume. Are you going to give it to me so I can follow your legacy? I think I'll pass."

"Not all the spells in there are black magic, and you do whatever you want with it, of course," Hex said very calm, pressing his head against the bars, "But if you don't want me to tell you where it is, the decision is yours."

Charmcaster stayed deep in thought for a few seconds until she finally said, "Tell me where it is."

Hex smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was the last chapter that is almost entirely reused from the other story. From now on, we will have a lot of new content. I'm already working on it.


	27. The New Lucky Girl

 

 

**The New Lucky Girl**

* * *

Aunt Verdona was in Europe taking care of matters concerning the newly formed Earth Coven, so Charmcaster was alone in Verdona's house. It was late at night, and the young sorceress had lost track of time, immersed in the reading of the Grimoire of Archamada, Uncle Hex's spell book. A specific text about the Charms of Bezel caught her attention.

Each Charm had a large amount of raw power, and only a very experienced sorcerer could exercise proper control over an amulet. Some 'safety' spells were applied to each Charm to block its full potential and prevent accidents - for example, the wielder of the Charm of Pyrokinesis could inadvertently cause a fire - but the Grimoire of Archamada taught how to reverse the process, and it was relatively simple.

The first thought in the enchantress' mind was to show Gwen that so she could unlock the full potential of the Charm of Luck and become even luckier. But the second thought in her mind was something else…

Charmcaster had never been lucky. She lost her father, had a bad childhood, was a criminal wanted by the authorities, and now she had been kicked out of Anodyne and didn't have any sympathy from the Homo Magi community. She was in love with a guy - Ben - who was already in love with someone else. She wondered what it would be like if she could have more luck...

It was easy for Charmcaster to open Aunt Verdona's safe where the Charm of Luck was stored - it was magicproof, but she had accidentally seen Verdona using the safe's combination once.

She took a deep breath, and stared at the rounded amulet filled with inscriptions, "Sorry, Red, but I think I need it more than you do," Charmcaster mentally apologized.

She held the stone in her hands and recited the Grimoire's spell.

* * *

The next day, Charmcaster was tired of being alone in Verdona's house. She wondered if she couldn't stay at Gwen's house ... or maybe at Ben's house. From what she'd heard, his parents were much nicer than Gwen's parents.

About half an hour later, Charmcaster - in her civilian identity Hope, a blond-haired blue-eyed girl - was ringing Ben's house's doorbell. A pretty blonde madam answered.

"Mrs. Tennyson? Hi, I'm Hope, Ben's girlfriend." She decided to use the fake girlfriend backstory to introduce herself.

"Please, just call me Sandra, my dear. And come in!" Ben's mother replied with a smile.

Hope was very well received by Mr. and Mrs. Tennyson - or rather, Carl and Sandra, as they insisted on being called. Ben was not home at the moment, but he would be back soon, they said, and they asked her to wait there and grab a snack. Hope accepted the offer, and told them that she lived with her aunt, who would be out of town for some time. Ben's own parents offered Hope to stay with them for as long as she wanted.

"We would love an opportunity to get to know our future daughter-in-law better," Sandra said.

"Please settle down in our guest bedroom, Hope," Carl spoke in agreement with his wife.

As a thanks gesture, Hope gave them a painting that she painted herself. She said it was a depiction of a 'possible' alien world - it was actually a painting of Anodyne, with its exotic beauty and double sunset. Carl quickly found a place on the wall to hang the painting and he also wanted to buy it, but Hope insisted that it was a gift.

"No way, Mr. Ten- I mean, Carl. I'm definitely going to take money from other people, but not from you two," Hope said. Of course, Ben's parents thought Hope meant "take money" by selling pictures, when she was actually talking about theft.

"Hope, my dear," Sandra said, "You're not just kind and pretty, you're a very talented painter too. Our son is really lucky to have found you."

"Believe me, Mrs. T- Sandra, I'm the  **lucky**  one to have Ben and super cool parents-in-law like you two," Hope replied.

* * *

**Meanwhile...**

Ben rang the doorbell at Gwen's house and waited. A few moments later, Gwen herself answered the door.

"Hi, princess," Ben gave her a beautiful bouquet of yellow roses, Gwen's favorite flowers.

"Oh my God," Gwen covered her mouth in her hands, "Thank you so much Ben!" She took the flowers from his hand with a huge smile and pressed her lips on his cheek for a long time, leaving a wet spot on Ben's face that made him feel amazing.

Then Gwen's mother appeared.

"What is this? Is your cousin giving you flowers?" Natalie Tennyson asked with her arms folded and a frown on her face.

"It's not what you think, mom," Gwen said, "These flowers are… Natan's! He asked Ben to give them to me in his name."

Ben's jaw dropped. He felt a little rejected with Gwen's response.

Natalie grinned from ear to ear, "I knew it. Since he did this, I think the perfect response is calling him and inviting him to a date."

"I'm not sure about that, mom. We can discuss this later," Gwen said.

"I promise you, Gwen, I will not let you lose this opportunity. We discussed before how Nate is perfect for you," Natalie said, "He's intelligent, polite, handsome, comes from a ric- I mean, a good family, and he's a wizard too, so he understands you and you don't have to keep secrets from each other."

Hearing about how good Natan was to Gwen was making Ben feel sick. He quickly excused himself, "Goodbye, Gwen and Aunt Natalie," he said, then left in a rush before they could invite him to stay and he had to hear more of that conversation.

* * *

When Ben got home, Hope was taking a nap, but after she woke up she went to talk to him.

"So, Ben, did your parents tell you I'm staying here for a while?" Hope walked into Ben's bedroom without bothering to knock on the door.

"Yes, they did," Ben answered completely apathetic. Hope expected that he either would be very happy or very upset, but she did not expect that reaction - or better, that lack of reaction - as if he were not even listening to her.

"Earth to Ben!" Hope snapped her fingers, "What happened?"

"I'm sorry, CC. Close the door, please, my parents can't hear this. "

She sat beside him on the bed, and he told her the whole story of how he wanted to bring Gwen flowers, "I was trying to do something nice for Gwen, but it all went wrong. Her mother saw the flowers and Gwen said they were from Natan," Ben lowered his head, "Now Aunt Natalie is even more committed to make Gwen get together with Natan. I'm scared, you know? If Gwen gives in to her mother's pressure and goes on a date with Natan, I don't doubt that he'll be able to win her over. I'm going to lose her... "

"Hey!" Hope placed her hands on his cheeks, "What does Natan have that you don't?"

"Beauty? Money? Fame? Charm? Support from Gwen's family? Not being related to her?" Ben replied.

"Darling, please! You are handsome, funny, and heroic!" Hope said, caressing his cheeks, "Gwen sure knows you're way better than a celebrity magician, no matter what her mother says... I'm sure I'd know that..." she blushed heavily.

Their faces were so close, and before they knew it, their lips met. It was impossible to tell which one of them initiated the kiss, but neither stopped. Their lips began to move in perfect synchrony, slowly.

A few seconds later, Ben pulled away, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done this. I honestly don't know what got into me."

"Ben," Hope held his hand, "Do you feel anything for me?"

Ben bit his lip, "Yes, I like you a lot. I really do. But ... I also like Gwen so much and..."

Hope felt a very strong feeling of guilt. She wondered if her good luck wasn't ruining Ben's chances with Gwen, and bringing him closer to her. Hope didn't want this. Or did she? She loved Ben and she wanted to be with him…

"I will not sit and wait for the moment Gwen decides she wants another guy when there's a perfect girl right here who likes me," Ben finally said, "Hope, do you want to be my girlfriend?"

Leaving the guilt aside, Hope smiled, "Yes, I do." And she gave him a passionate kiss in response. She was really  **lucky**...

* * *

Charmcaster tried to punch Gwen in the face, but the redhead was quicker: she dodged from the blow and knocked the silver-haired girl down with a sweep kick.

"Crap," Charmcaster muttered, downed on the mat, "You're always kicking my butt, Red."

"Hey, you fought well. I had to bust my hump to take you down this time." Gwen took off the protective headgear and breathed heavily for a few seconds. Then she stretched out her hand to help Charmcaster stand up.

The two young witches had set up another training room in Verdona's house - this one for physical training instead of mystical training - with a mat and protective gear to train against each other. The idea came from Charmcaster, who, although being the most powerful witch between the two of them, was an inferior fighter and wanted Gwen's help to improve. In return, Charmcaster gave extra magic lessons to Gwen, acting as a "substitute teacher" while Verdona was off solving matters of the newly formed Earth Coven.

The two paused the training for a small break, and Charmcaster took the time to start the conversation that she wanted to have, "Gwen, there's something I need to tell you... Ben and I are together."

"..." Gwen had a blank stare on her face.

"I know you like him, Red, and I don't want to steal him from you, really. Maybe we both compromise a little and agree to share Ben," she suggested timidly. She wasn't really eager to share a boyfriend, but that would make her conscience clean, so it was worth it.

"No, that's not what I want. I want Ben..." Gwen said, then paused to think for a few moments, "but you're my cousin, and the closest thing I have to a sister, and I want you to be happy more than anything else. If you and Ben are together now, I'm happy for you."

Charmcaster hugged Gwen tight, "Thank you so much for not letting this situation push us away from each other, Red. I'm very  **lucky**  to have you."

* * *

The next week was absolutely amazing for Hope.

She felt very loved by Ben's parents. It was almost as if they already considered her as their daughter too, and she felt at home with them.

Ben was a perfect boyfriend. He paid attention to her, treated her well, and even bought flowers for her too. And Gwen was really like a sister. The two went shopping together, trained magic together and trained fighting together. At no point jealousy over Ben affected the friendship between the two girls.

The following weekend Hope proposed for Ben, Gwen and her to watch a movie together at Verdona's house. It was the first time Ben and Gwen were in the same room together after Hope and Ben started dating, and things were a bit awkward at first, until Gwen broke the ice by calling Ben a Doofus, then in return Ben called her a Dweeb. The three of them burst out laughing and things were mostly normal after that, until Verdona showed up. She was finally back from Europe.

Gwen and Charmcaster gave Verdona a long and tight hug, and after that the more experienced witch just kept staring at Charmcaster with a confused expression on her face, "Your aura…"

She knew.

Charmcaster broke out in a cold sweat

"I noticed there was something different about CC's aura too, Grandma, but I couldn't put my finger on it," Gwen said.

"It's the Charm of Luck at full power, isn't it?" Verdona whispered.

"WHAT?" Gwen was shocked.

"I know I'm under the effect of your amulet, Gwen, I'm sorry, but nothing's changed, right?" Charmcaster defended herself, "Besides, you've been under the effect of this luck for years, it's not like it makes that much of a difference, right?"

"I never had the luck at full power. Where is it?" Gwen folded her arms.

"It's still in the safe," Charmcaster said sheepishly, "I used a spell to charge the amulet, I touched it and then I just left it there in the same place."

They went to the safe and Verdona touched the amulet, effectively removing Charmcaster's luck.

"Is this the reason why you and Ben hooked up? And that's why I did not even want to fight for him? I normally wouldn't have accept to see you take him away from me passively like this... " Gwen said, more to herself rather than to Hope.

"No!" Charmcaster said, "It's because we're best friends, almost sisters, and you wanted to see me happy, remember? Besides, Ben likes me too. I used the Charm of Luck, not a love potion. My good luck only made him express what he was already feeling deep down," Charmcaster argued, "But if you really want him, well, I offered to share him before, and that offer still stands..."

"I want to stay with Ben, if he wants to take this decision now, without the influence of any magic," she glanced at Ben, "But he will be making a mutually exclusive choice, you or me," Gwen said in a very serious tone.

"I don't believe you're going to force him to make such a painful choice, and I don't believe you're going to do this to me," Charmcaster said shocked, "Are you really that selfish?"

"You used magic to manipulate me, Ben and Ben's parents, and you still call me selfish? Do you think it's selfish of me not wanting to share my boyfriend with another woman?" Gwen arched an eyebrow.

"Around a week ago, you were perfectly happy with waiting over a year to date Ben, while your mother pushed you to date another boy, and you suddenly want to date Ben now just because I'm with him," Charmcaster said with a little anger in her voice, "You know that deep down, what you feel for him is just a very possessive form of family love, and the only reason you want to be Ben's girlfriend is because you don't want him to have another girl more important than you in his life, you don't want to share him because you're a  **selfish bitch**!"

Gwen's eyes widened in surprise at the insult, and she immediately replied back, "And you're a  **manipulative bitch**!"

"Say that again!" Charmcaster said, grabbing her magical bag with the intention of unleashing her rock creatures on Gwen. In response, Gwen's hands lit up in a bright blue light.

"Girls, please stop!" Verdona stood in the middle of them, "You two are better than this."

Charmcaster looked at Ben. He cast an apologetic glance at her, scratched his head and put a hand on Gwen's shoulder, a silent way of letting them know his choice. Gwen smiled to him in return… The sight of the redhead smiling made Charmcaster feel pure hatred, and if Verdona weren't there, she would surely have attacked Gwen. Charmcaster whispered  **"I hate you"**  before storming out.


	28. Ghosts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * For those of you who were disappointed to see the Bencaster ship sinking, I've started an alternate version of Watch Boy & Lucky Girl called Mystic Vanguard. My intention is that readers choose only one of the two to read, depending on your shipping preferences. Between this fic and Mystic Vanguard, I will try my best to update both, but I will prioritize the fic that is generating more interest from readers

 

* * *

**Ghosts**

* * *

"This wine tastes different," Sandra Tennyson said after taking another sip from the cup.

"You're right, honey. I've never had wine like this before. But it's delicious, so I won't complain." Her husband Carl shrugged as he cut a slice of meat with a knife.

Sandra let out a sad sigh, "There wasn't a worse moment for the two of us to go out in a romantic getaway than the week in which that Hope girl broke our baby's heart ..." Ben hadn't gone into detail about the break-up, but Sandra guessed that it was Hope who had broken up with him.

"Honey, don't blame yourself. When we made the reservations a month ago, we had no idea that was going to happen." Carl grabbed his wife's hand. "And we asked Ben to come with us, but he was very insistent to refuse, he said he was fine."

Sandra agreed with her husband, and the wine helped both of them to loosen up and leave the worries aside. After dinner, they headed for their room, kissing and caressing each other on the way - the small inn was almost empty, there were only two or three other guests besides them, and a few members of the staff.

* * *

"Wow, honey, this was... wow," Sandra gave Carl a peck on the lips while he rubbed circles on her back.

Then the lights started flickering and there was a sudden drop in the room's temperature.

"What's going on?" Sandra asked, in a worried voice.

"We have to get out of here now," Carl said very seriously. His father Max had taught him the basics about aliens... including evidences of the presence of Ectonurites.

Before the two could do anything, though, two translucent creatures that looked like corpses phased through the wall of the room. The ghosts began to float around the couple's bed with grim smiles on their disfigured 'faces'.

"HELP!" Carl shouted.

"Scream all you want. No one will help you," one of them said in a hoarse voice, "Everyone here is ours."

Carl felt a shiver through his body as he remembered that the inn was almost empty. He and his wife had come to a horror movie setting.

"What do you want, monsters?" Carl asked, as Sandra hugged him tightly, with her head buried in her chest, paralyzed with fear.

"Monsters? What a disrespect to us... We were so polite. We let you two have your fun..." The other said, "And we served you well, with our best drink... Or didn't you notice the special recipe of the wine?"

Carl finally realized what was different about the wine: Ectoplasm. Ectonurites had the power to possess people if they had them drink a portion of their Ectoplasm first.

"We prepared all of this very carefully for you two... Because we need you to get to your son..." the ghosts dived toward Carl and Sandra and possessed them.

* * *

Ben spent Friday night home alone. His parents escaped for a romantic weekend getaway and out of pity from his recent 'breakup' with Hope they had invited him to tag along, but Ben knew all too well that when it comes to romance, three is a crowd, so he refused their offer and said everything was fine.

He wasn't fine.

Ben felt guilty for destroying the sisterly bond Gwen and Charmcaster shared. He was also pretty sure he hurt the feelings of both girls. He kept mulling it over in his head wondering what he could have done differently.

Ben was trying to distract himself by playing Sumo Slammers when the doorbell rang. He saw it was Gwen and opened the door with a smile, but before Ben could greet her, she rushed in, closed the door behind her, and surprised Ben by pulling him into a fiery kiss.

Ben return the kiss, exploring her mouth with his tongue. Gwen tried to take his shirt off, but Ben stopped her. There was something strange. Gwen usually wasn't so 'forward' like that.

"What are you doing, Gwen?" he asked with a puzzled look on his face.

"Ben, I know you want me, and I'm willing to take the next step in our relationship," Gwen said in a shy voice, "Your parents aren't home and neither are mine. Today is the perfect opportunity."

Ben's jaw dropped.

He remembered Ryan, Gwen's first boyfriend. He had the perfect girl, beautiful, smart and funny, and he dumped Gwen simply because she wouldn't sleep with him. Ben knew others broke up with her for the exact same reason, or Gwen broke up with them because they kept pushing her. They were idiots in Ben's opinion, all of them. Not that Ben didn't want to sleep with his girlfriend sooner rather than later - he did - but he'd never break up or push Gwen because of that.

Anyway, that change in Gwen's attitude was very strange, "Who are you and what did you do with my cousin?" Ben asked cautiously, stepping back and putting his hand over the Omnitrix.

"Ben, it's me. Who else would know that when you were a kid you didn't wear colored socks because you thought it would color your feet, Doofus?" Gwen arched an eyebrow and folded her arms.

"Hey, that's a lie!" Ben protested, but he knew it was true. It was really Gwen.

Of course, now Ben wanted to rush her to his bedroom and make love to her all night long. Ben was ashamed to admit he was a virgin too, and he didn't want to waste this chance. But another part of Ben, the one with the weight on his conscience, made him do the right thing, "You used to say you wanted to wait until marriage to do it. Why did you change your mind?" Ben scratched his head.

Gwen bit her lip, "If you had chosen to stay with Charmcaster, she would have no restrictions about... physical intimacy. And you gave up being with her for me. So, I want to give you everything that Charmcaster - or any other girl - would give you. I can't lose you like I've lost other guys before. You are… I can't lose you."

Ben stepped closer to Gwen and gave a chaste kiss on her forehead. "You're never going to lose me, Dweeb, and you already gave me everything I could ever want. We don't need to rush things with the 'physical intimacy' part."

"What?" It was Gwen's turn to be surprised, "Who are you and what did you do with my cousin?"

"Oh, no, I want this," Ben giggled, "But I don't want you to change, I don't want you trying to act like Charmcaster or any other girl just to please me. I want you to be yourself."

"That was... incredibly sweet and gentle," Gwen said, still surprised.

"I know I'm not being like this lately, but I'll try to be from now on. That stuff between us and Charmcaster made me rethink my actions. I'm really sorry for everything I made you and her go through," Ben sighed.

Gwen caressed his face, "Hey, Charmcaster created that situation using the Charm of Luck. Then I asked you to make a choice and you chose me. I'm not upset, you did everything I asked."

"It's not just about Charmcaster, it's about you too," Ben tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "Under the influence of magic or not, my actions made you feel insecure, made you think you need to change your attitude or that I need a different person to make me happy. But you, with all your dweebness, is all I ever wanted."

Gwen chuckled and hugged him tight, resting her head on his chest, "Thank you, my love," she said, and Ben blushed at being called 'love', "I made mistakes too. With my mother pressuring me to date Natan, I am pretty sure I wasn't the only one feeling insecure. I have to solve this situation too."

After nearly a minute of a silent embrace, Gwen whispered, "The reason I planned to wait until my wedding is because I don't want to sleep with the wrong guy. If I decide to marry someone, it's because I have the conviction that this is the person I want to spend the rest of my life with. This is the moment I'd say, 'I want to sleep with this guy'. And, Ben, I already have that conviction about you. I don't need more time. I've known you since you were born. So, I don't have to wait with you. We can make love tonight."

Ben smiled. In these new circumstances, he would definitely be happy to do it, but he still didn't want to rush things, "I'm flattered, but I think you should think about it for at least a couple of days. Then, if you're still up for it, we take this step."

She nodded and kissed him on the cheek.

Ben and Gwen grabbed a snack, watched some cartoons and then went to sleep. The two of them laid spooning, with Ben hugging Gwen from behind and rubbing up against her butt - Ben was still Ben, and he wasn't going to miss the opportunity to feel her up.

Before they could fall asleep, though, Ben's cell phone rang. The caller was identified on the screen as Ben's father.

"Hello, Dad?" Ben answered the call.

"Hello, Watch Boy. Look at the picture you just received," the voice was his father's, but it was cold and devoid of emotion.

Ben looked at his messages and saw a picture of his father and mother with their eyes completely black - sclera and pupils. Terrified, he quickly realized what that meant: his parents were possessed by Ectonurites.

"Your parents belong to us now, and they will die, unless you do as I say. I'll send you the time and place where you should turn yourself in. Don't even think about asking for help from your friends at S.E.C.T," Carl's voice said before hanging up.

Gwen noticed the look of panic on Ben's face and he told to her everything.

"We will save Uncle Carl and Aunt Sandra," Gwen assured him while caressing his arm. Very recently, she had been in the same situation of having her parents kidnapped and Ben had comforted her and helped to save them, she hoped to do the same thing for him.

Shortly thereafter, Ben's cell phone rang again. Now the call was coming from an unknown number. Ben put the phone on speaker so Gwen could hear it too.

"Who's this?" Ben asked.

"An ally. I'm on your side, but I don't have much time," a voice whispered, "if you surrender to them, they'll kill you."

"Why do your people want me dead?" Ben hadn't even fought against Ectonurites before, "And how do you know my identity?"

"Your enemy's name is Darius, he is the current king of the Ectonurites on this planet. They have discovered all about you thanks to spies inside S.E.C.T., and you are a threat because you carry inside your watch a piece of Lord Zs'Skayr, our first and glorious king. And he is the only one who can help you," and then he hung up.

After a few moments of a deep silence, Gwen finally spoke, "This Zs'Skayr... is he Ghostfreak?"

"Well, every alien DNA in the Omnitrix has a source. For example, I got Benwolf after a werewolf bit me, and I got Magus Viridis after we kissed," Ben said, "Ghostfreak is an Ectonurite version of me with the Ectonurite part of the DNA coming from somebody else. And remember I told you once that Ghostfreak is different from my other aliens? When I turn into him, I feel like this 'somebody else' is in there with me too. And he gives me the creeps."

"Oh my God! Why didn't I think of this before?" Lucky Girl facepalmed, "The Ectonurites' minds are embedded in their DNA. So it's obvious that this Zs'Skayr can exert an influence over your Ghostfreak."

"I always try to keep him repressed, but I'm going to have to let him loose a bit if I want to talk to him," Ben said in a worried tone.

"Are you sure?" Gwen asked, "I know the saying, 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend', but we're not even sure who the enemy truly is here. That Ectonurite who claimed to be an 'ally' might be lying, and all this can be a setup from Zs'Skayr himself so he can control you from wherever he is."

"I know, but I don't have many options. My parents' lives are at stake." Ben let out a weary sigh.

"I understand," Gwen put her hand on her cousin's shoulder, "I have an idea. I trap you in a magical circle, then you release Ghostfreak's inner self, and I can interrogate him."

Ben nodded, "Let's do this."

**TO BE CONTINUED**


End file.
